Hossein Robatjazi who earned his bachelor’s degree in applied chemistry from Isfahan University of Technology in 2009 and his master’s degree in analytical chemistry from Sharif University of Technology in 2011, now has won 2019 Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowships in Chemical Sciences. The member of Naomi Halas’ research group in Rice University, is the first Rice graduate student to win the prestigious fellowships while pursuing his Ph.D.
Robatjazi is among 15 researchers from 11 universities to win the coveted fellowships this year. He will use his fellowship to focus on heterogenous catalysis, a crucial component for a range of technologies. “Each year, trillions of dollars of value-added chemicals are produced using energy-intensive catalytic processes that rely on nanometer-sized transition-metal particles interfaced with typically metal oxide supports,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to develop novel photocatalysts to drive low-cost and efficient chemical conversions for current and future interests.” He plans to develop an experimental strategy based on in situ Kelvin probe force microscopy to provide mechanistic insights into the surface phenomena that govern heterogeneous catalysis at a single-particle level.
Beckman postdoctoral fellowships support advanced research in core areas of fundamental chemistry and help scholars transition from the role of mentored researcher to tenure-track faculty member. The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation provides grants to researchers and nonprofit research institutions in chemistry and life sciences to promote scientific discoveries, and particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research.