Dr. Sarah H. Tolbert has been awarded an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Chemistry. Dr. Tolbert received the doctoral degree from the University of California at Berkeley under the supervision of Professor A. Paul Alivisatos. Dr. Tolbert will continue research at the University of California at Santa Barbara under the sponsorship of Professor Galen Stucky. The postdoctoral research will focus on the study of iron oxide mesoporous materials. The systems consist of surfactant/inorganic composites that display long range periodic order reminiscent of liquid crystals. The synthesis and characterization of mesopores is accomplished through the use of redox chemistry with iron oxide as the model inorganic. The materials produced are characterized by Moessbauer spectroscopy as well as by examination of magnetic properties. The work leads toward the overall goal of understanding and predicting the observable states of solids. The Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Chemistry Program is viewed as an important infrastructural program designed to broaden the knowledge and experience of new Ph. D.s and attract them into meaningful careers in contemporary chemical research and teaching.
