The APS User Organization (APSUO) Steering Committee is happy to announce the four new steering committee members along with the new student member! All five were nominated and elected by the APS user community.
The steering committee members are:
Yan Kung, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry of Bryn Mawr College. He earned his B.A. in chemistry from Colby College and his Ph.D. in biological chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was previously a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and an assistant professor at Bryn Mawr College. He is a protein crystallographer and structural enzymologist. His lab studies enzymes responsible for the biological synthesis of isoprenoid natural product precursors, with additional interests in protein engineering and metalloenzymes. He has some 15 years of experience as a user at synchrotrons across the U.S., including APS, ALS, SSRL, NSLS, and CHESS, though he has used APS most extensively. He is also interested in science education and access, especially for groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.
Mingda Li, the Norman C. Rasmussen Assistant Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT. He earned his B.S. in engineering physics from Tsinghua University (China) and his Ph.D. in nuclear science and engineering from MIT. He was previously a postdoctoral fellow in mechanical engineering and an assistant professor of nuclear science and engineering, both at MIT. His research interest is in synthesizing topological quantum materials to elucidate their microscopic interaction mechanisms through x-ray and neutron scattering techniques, toward practical energy and information applications. To better learn these microscopic interaction mechanisms, he augments the scattering data analysis and interpretation through a machine learning approach.
Michelle Mejía (she/her/hers), a research scientist in the global Surface and Interface Group in the Analytical Sciences Department at Dow. She earned her B.S. in chemistry from Rice University and her Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. Her interests are in x-ray scattering, in situ x-ray scattering, materials science, structure-property relationships, and new beamline capability development. She is a DuPont-Northwestern-Dow Collaborative Access Team user/member and board member. She is the Lead of the Diversity and Inclusion initiative within Analytical Sciences in Lake Jackson. She takes an active role in mentoring younger scientists, is a board member of Latinas in STEM, and serves as a Rice University Alumni Volunteer for Admission.
Michael Stuckelberger, a staff scientist with DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) in Germany. He earned his MSc. diploma in physics from Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) in Switzerland, and his Ph.D. in materials science from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, where he was awarded the EPFL & PX Group dissertation prize. Previously, he served as a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University. Currently at DESY, he develops scanning microscopy methods including multi-modal measurements involving x-ray fluorescence, x-ray diffraction, x-ray beam induced current, x-ray excited optical luminescence, and ptychography. His research interests include the in situ and operando characterization of energy materials with nanoscale resolution in space and time. He is a user at sectors 1, 2, 26, and 34 of the APS, as well as of the National Synchrotron Light Source II, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the Canadian Light Source, MAX IV, and PETRA III.
The student representative is:
Taylor Spivey, a member of the Holewinski Research Group in the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Chemical Engineering. He earned his B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.S. in education from the University of Tennessee. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program awardee at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource CoAccess Lab where he designs operando electrocatalytic x-ray absorption spectroscopy cells while specializing in electrocatalysis of dilute alloys and their spectroscopic investigation in multiple x-ray energy regimes. His research interests include the operando x-ray absorption spectroscopy investigation of dynamic structural and electronic changes in reactive environments for novel alloyed heterogeneous catalysts, and electrocatalysts complemented by rigorous kinetic and computational studies.
Congratulations to the new APSUO steering committee members!
The APSUO is an elected body that is responsible for advising the APS associate laboratory director as an advocacy group for the APS facility and its user community, as a source of advice on matters affecting the user community, and as an advocate for good communication between the APS user community and APS management.
Below is a list of upcoming APSUO meetings.
- Wednesday, July 28, 2021
- Wednesday, October 27, 2021
- Wednesday, January 26, 2021
The Advanced Photon Source is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
The U.S. Department of Energy's APS is one of the world’s most productive x-ray light source facilities. Each year, the APS provides high-brightness x-ray beams to a diverse community of more than 5,000 researchers in materials science, chemistry, condensed matter physics, the life and environmental sciences, and applied research. Researchers using the APS produce over 2,000 publications each year detailing impactful discoveries, and solve more vital biological protein structures than users of any other x-ray light source research facility. APS x-rays are ideally suited for explorations of materials and biological structures; elemental distribution; chemical, magnetic, electronic states; and a wide range of technologically important engineering systems from batteries to fuel injector sprays, all of which are the foundations of our nation’s economic, technological, and physical well-being.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC, for the U.S. DOE Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the Office of Science website.