Science for a Sustainable Future
ongratulations to Dr. Zachary Jones, who successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis, “Optical Characterization of Fluorescent Diamond Nanoparticles in Complex Environments” this afternoon !! Zack will soon begin his next adventure as a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley Labs. Congratulations, Zack !!
Congratulations to Dr. Jaya Borgatta ! Jaya defended her Ph.D. thesis “Understanding the influence of Cu-based nanoparticle properties on interactions with plant systems and disease suppression on June 22, 2021. Congrats, Jaya !
We are pleased to announce openings for two postdoc positions.
Position 1: This position is part of the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. We seek a postdoc candidate with expertise and/or interest in synthesis and characterization of inorganic nanomaterials and the chemical transformation of nanoparticles in aqueous environments. Nanomaterials of interest include transition metal oxides and phosphates, and carbon-based nanomaterials. Strong background in nanoparticle characterization by XPS, TEM, SEM, XRD, DLS, and other techniques is a big plus. Successful candidates will be willing and able to collaborate with multiple research groups to advance CSN’s scientific mission.
Position 2: This position focuses on the use of nitrogen-vacancy (Nv) centers in diamond as a means to achieve new types of quantum-based chemical sensing in aqueous environments. Candidates with physics and/or chemistry expertise with a strong backgrounds in optics (including custom-built optical instrumentation) are especially encouraged to apply. Prior experience with diamond and/or Nv centers is a plus but not required.
The Hamers group is committed to an environment in which all persons, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation and/or identity, race, ethnicity, or personal characteristics can thrive. Candidates who share our goal of increasing the diversity of the scientific workforce are especially encouraged to apply. To apply, please contact Professor Robert Hamers (rjhamers@wisc.edu).
We are delighted to announce that the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSN) has been awarded a $20 Million renewal award, allowing the center to continue advancing its research for another 5 years, 9/1/2020-8/31/2020. Professor Robert Hamers is the Director of the CSN, and in that role serves as the primary scientific director of the center’s activities. The CSN is highly collaborative, linking UW-Madison with 10 other universities and two government laboratories, and supporting approximately 70 Ph.D. students, postdoctoral research fellows, and undergraduate researchers in a common goal to understand the fundamental chemistry of nanoparticles in the environment. More information about the CSN’s research, education, outreach, and diversity and inclusion efforts can be found at susnano.chem.wisc.edu.
Below are a few photos from our reverse site visit held at NSF back in February.
Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Laudadio on successfully defending her Ph.D. thesis “Chemical Transformations of Lithium Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticles in Model Environmental Systems”. Liz will be joining Argonne National Labs as a postdoctoral fellow beginning mid-summer.
Congratulations, Liz !
Congratulations to Kelly Zhang on successfully defending her Ph.D. thesis, “Functionalization and Characterization of Carbon Nanomaterials: Understanding Mechanistic Molecular Interactions in Biological Systems” !
Kelly has accepted a position at Merck Co. in Rahway, NY
Congratulations, Kelly !!
Dr. Yongqian (Kelly) Zhang at her virtual Ph.D. thesis defense
Congratulations to Sarah Guillot for successfully defending her Ph.D. thesis ! Sarah’s next stop will be as a research scientist at Silatronix, Inc., making the world’s best lithium-ion batteries.
We are pleased to announce four new Ph.D. students as Hamers group members: Cesar Saucedo, Katie Kruszynski, Louis Morris, and Alicia Tripp ! Welcome to the Hamers Group !
Congratulations to Shuo Li his recent paper, “Tunable coloration of diamond films by encapsulation of plasmonic Ag nanoparticles“, just published in Diamond and Related Materials. A UW press release on this work can be found here. This work represents a new way to manipulate the optical properties of diamond by encapsulating small diamond nanoparticles into diamond films.
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We are pleased that the National Science Foundation has awarded the research team of Bob Hamers (chemistry), Mark Eriksson (physics), Sue Coppersmith (physics), and Mikhail Kats (electrical engineering) a $1Million research grant to investigate new approaches to quantum-based chemical sensing, based on the unique properties of NV centers in diamond. For more information, see the press releases from NSF and from UW-Madison.
