PNNL

Steven Spurgeon, a materials scientist in the Energy and Environment Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was recently elected leader of the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) aberration-corrected microscopy focused interest group.

The MSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of techniques and applications of microscopy and microanalysis in all relevant scientific disciplines. The society operates several committees and focused interest groups in microscopy specialties. This includes the aberration-corrected microscopy group, which represents the interests of scientists in the area of high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy.

“The aberration-corrected group connects researchers around the world who are using electron microscopy to study materials at the atomic scale. I look forward to launching new initiatives to accelerate adoption of these methods and elevate the state of the art,” said Spurgeon.

High resolution imaging and spectroscopy are used by PNNL researchers to map the structure and chemistry of materials for energy storage, quantum computing, and nuclear technologies. PNNL has a strong focus on understanding the dynamic evolution of these materials in extreme conditions and has been developing advanced data science methods to complement its diverse set of microscopy capabilities.

Spurgeon is an expert the characterization materials using scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and image simulations. His research employs complementary, multidimensional analysis techniques and theory calculations to generate deep insight into the behavior of complex materials systems.

Spurgeon will work alongside the current leader, Professor Robert Klie from the University of Illinois–Chicago, throughout 2021 and then will take over as leader for a two-year term starting in 2022.