ANL Scientist Awarded Fellowship for Work on Nanomaterials

U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory scientist Tiffany Santos has been awarded a L'Oreal USA Fellowship for Women in Science for her work in materials science at the Center for Nanoscale Materials.

"By far, the strongest, positive influence on my research endeavors thus far has been the incredible mentors that have guided me, from my first research experience as an undergrad to my ongoing postdoctoral studies today," Santos said. "Their enthusiasm for science is contagious and I thrive on learning from them on a daily basis. The thrill of discovery and sharing the excitement with mentors and colleagues make my job rewarding and fun."

The L'Oreal USA Fellowships for Women in Science, now in its sixth year, provides support to postdoctoral women scientists who are researching answers to society's most complex issues. By conducting pioneering research, such as minimizing carbon dioxide production to help lessen respiratory problems and testing for blood vessel dysfunctions that play a role in triggering Alzheimer's disease, these Fellows represent the future generation of women in science.

Awardees each receive $60,000 grants to be used toward independent scientific research and career development. In addition, the L'Oreal USA Fellowships for Women in Science also offer professional development workshops for awardees and help these Fellows build networks with accomplished women leaders in corporate, academic, governmental and scientific fields.

Santos completed a S.B. in 2002 and a Ph.D. in 2007, both in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the CNM Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship.

She investigates a class of materials called transition metal oxides. These materials display a wide array of properties that have great application potential, such as magnetism, ferroelectricity and superconductivity. When different transition metal oxides are brought together, new properties can emerge at the interface between them, forming a new material that is distinct from the original constituents. She designs and builds these layered oxide structures, with the goal of not only discovering emergent properties, but also optimizing and controlling them.

"The aim of my research is to understand how materials interact with each other when brought together at the atomic level," Santos said. "If we can understand the origin of a material's properties at the nanoscale, then we can design and create new materials for the next generation of electronic devices that meet these global challenges."

The 2009 L'Oreal USA Fellows were selected from a competitive pool of candidates by a distinguished jury of career scientists, presided over by Ralph J. Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences. The Fellows are selected based on exceptional academic performance and intellectual merit, clearly articulated research proposals with the potential for scientific advancement and outstanding letters of recommendation from advisers.

The L'Oreal USA Fellowships for Women in Science is a national extension of the global For Women in Science program, which has awarded Laureate prizes to 57 distinguished women scientist from 27 countries and 135 international fellowship grants to young women researchers from 71 countries. Additionally, national fellowship programs have been developed in more than 43 countries, providing support to more than 500 women scientists worldwide.

For more information about the fellowship, visit www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience or the L'Oreal for Women in Science Facebook page.