, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been selected to receive funding for research as part of the U.S. Department of EnergyāsĀ . The program is designed to bolster the nationās scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early career period, when many scientists conduct their most formative work.
Kidambi is among 83 scientists around the country selected for the program and will receive approximately $750,000 over five years. His proposal, āUnderstanding Enhanced Isotope Sieving Through Defects in 2D Membranesā aims to answer fundamental scientific questions about how to separate similar variants of the same elementsāisotopesāby using nanomaterials.
Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have equal numbers of protons and electrons, but different numbers of neutronsāwhich changes the atomic mass but not the chemical properties of the atom. These variants are extremely useful in medical diagnostic and treatment, quantum information science, nuclear power and national security, among other areas.
Kidambiās proposed project aims to use defects in 2D nanomaterials to enhance separation of isotopes. āIsotopes are analogous to indistinguishable twins with very minor differences,ā Kidambi said. āSeparating one isotope from another is inherently challenging, and conventional isotope separation processes are extremely energy intensiveāand are accompanied with adverse environmental effects. In this context, defects in 2D nanomaterials offer new and exciting possibilities for breakthrough advances.ā
More broadly, Kidambiās research is focused on understanding the synthesis of nanomaterials for health care, energy, electronic and catalytic applications. The groupās multidisciplinary work leverages collaboration with academic, national lab and industrial partners. The lab isĀ affiliated withāÆtheāÆĀ鶹APP Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering,āÆt³ó±šāÆĀ and theĀ Data Science Institute.
āSupporting talented researchers early in their career is key to fostering scientific creativity and ingenuity within the national research community,ā said DOE Office of Science Director Asmeret Asefaw Berhe. āDedicating resources to these focused projects led by well-deserved investigators helps maintain and grow Americaās scientific skill set for generations to come.ā
To be eligible for this DOE award, a researcher must be an untenured, tenure-track assistant or associate professor at a U.S. academic institution, or a full-time employee at a DOE national laboratory who has received a Ph.D. within 10 years. Awardees were selected from a large pool of university- and national laboratory-based applicants based on peer review by outside scientific experts.