Park

Warner

Jiwoong Park, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology, and Derek Warner, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, are recipients of Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

Established in 1996, the PECASE program honors outstanding researchers near the beginning of their careers, providing recognition of their potential for leadership. Awardees are nominated by the National Science Foundation, NASA and several federal departments including defense, energy and agriculture. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on early career scientists and engineers.

Park, nominated by the Department of Defense, researches electrical properties of individual nanostructures, including carbon nanotubes and nanowires. His research lies at the forefront of nanostructure-based electronic and optoelectronics, which many predict hold promise for next-generation electronics.

As part of his PECASE award, Park will receive $1 million over five years for further research on atomic-level understanding and optimization of electronic interfaces in molecular-scale devices.

Warner, also nominated by the Department of Defense, works on fracture modeling of aluminum and other metals, with the goal of better informing engineers about how such materials fail. The awarded work is intended to aid in the assessment of ship hull structures.

Warner's $1 million, five-year PECASE award will allow him to study the effects of harsh chemical environments, such as the ocean, on mechanical behavior. The work will involve using atomic-level simulation and analysis techniques to develop physics-based models of mechanical behavior in corrosive environments.