PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) welcomes three incoming joint appointees with expertise in materials science. The new joint appointees are Shannon Boettcher of the University of Oregon (UO) and Juan Carlos Idrobo and Di Xiao of the University of Washington (UW).

“I’m very excited to have these prominent scientists joining PNNL,” said Peter Sushko, PNNL’s Basic Energy Sciences Materials Science and Engineering Sector Manager. “I look forward to the new research partnerships that will come from these appointments.”

Boettcher is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UO. An expert in the field of electrochemistry, his research focuses on designing, synthesizing, and understanding materials for applications in energy conversion and storage. Boettcher founded the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry and developed the nation’s first Master’s program in Electrochemical Science and Technology/Engineering.

“I am excited to join the team at PNNL to work more closely and collaboratively with world leaders in electrochemical energy storage science and technology,” said Boettcher. “The joint appointment streamlines access to laboratory facilities and the creation of multidisciplinary teams to attack the most important, and difficult, problems that define our era. PNNL further offers excellent educational opportunities for our graduate students through the unique research and technology development environment. I’m looking forward to facilitating student experiences at PNNL.”

Idrobo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at UW. Prior to joining UW, Idrobo was a Senior Staff Scientist and a group leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He develops and applies new analytical techniques to study materials via scanning transmission electron microscopy. His work centers on identifying and understanding the structure, electronic, magnetic, thermal, optical, and topological properties of materials.

Xiao is a Professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and the Department of Physics at UW, specializing in quantum condensed matter theory. His work seeks to understand and predict the properties of materials using a quantum lens. He previously held an appointment as a Professor of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University.

All three joint appointees have their primary appointment at either UW or UO. Joint appointments like these strengthen PNNL’s capabilities, allowing the Laboratory to better build the interdisciplinary teams needed to achieve scientific and technical objectives.