Associate Professor Jennifer Chen is the winner of the 2018 Award for Outstanding Early-Career Achievements in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Ontario from Nano Ontario.
The award is part of a new program that recognizes the achievements of female scientists and engineers who conduct research and development in nanoscience and nanotechnology across the province. Chen, of the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science, received her award on Nov. 23 at the 9th Annual Nano Ontario Conference in Ottawa, where she also gave a lecture about her work.
The theme of this year’s conference was “Nano-enable Materials: Fundamentals to Applications,” which is something Chen’s research explores in detail.
“My work focuses on the fundamental understanding and applications of materials for sensing, imaging, energy conversion and optoelectronics,” said Chen. “We investigate the properties of nanostructures, their interfaces and factors influencing their conjugation with engineered biomolecules or integration with polymers.”
Through her research program, Chen says, “We aim to design better nano building blocks to address challenges in health care and a sustainable future.”
In October, Chen was also named to the 2018 Top 40 Under 40 Power List by Analytical Scientist magazine. The list includes people from around the globe who are already having a big impact on the field of analytical science.