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Joint Appointments

Stony Brook and Brookhaven National Lab have more than 75 joint appointments supporting the strategic missions of both institutions.  Many of these are guest appointments (at BNL) or nonsalaried faculty appointments (at Stony Brook) that enable researchers to develop collaborations, access facilities, mentor students, and in some cases participate in teaching.

Other joint appointments involve formal arrangements, with effort assigned at Stony Brook and Brookhaven and shared salary funding.

Joint appointees strengthen ties between Stony Brook and Brookhaven, facilitate student engagement at Brookhaven, and contribute to shared research goals.

Meet some of our joint appointees below:

 

Yu-Chen (Karen) Chen-Wiegart

Chen-Wiegart Dr. Chen-Wiegart is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering . She holds a Joint Appointment at the National Synchrotron Light Source – II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), coordinating the effort of multi-modal research approach. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University. Prof. Chen-Wiegart's research focuses on applying state-of-the-art x-ray imaging and spectroscopic techniques to study novel functional materials. Her current interests include energy storage and conversion, nano-/meso-porous materials, thin film & surface treatment, and cultural heritage. Before joining Stony Brook University, she served as beamline scientist at the Sub-Micron Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy (SRX) Beamline of NSLS-II. Prior to that she was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Synchrotron Light Source at BNL, where she participated in the commissioning of the new high-resolution x-ray transmission microscope and in establishing the new associated research program. Her PhD research focused on the study of the dealloying and coarsening behaviors of nanoporous metal which has numerous potential applications, co-funded by Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. She has also been active in out-reach programs at NSLS-II and SBU, organizing events such as “Bring Our Children to Work Day” for the Photon Sciences Division at BNL, volunteering for educational and outreach events, and teaching courses in Women in Science & Engineering program at SBU.

Anatoly Frenkel

FrenkelDr Frenkel is a Professor in the Materials Science and Chemical Engineering Department and has a joint appointment in the Chemistry Division at BNL.  His research focuses on  disordered systems, mechanisms of catalytic reactions, mechanisms of work of electromechanical materials (piezo-, ferro-, pyro-electrics and electrostrictors. Use of synchrotron-based techniques in materials characterization (x-ray absorption (XAFS) and emission (RIXS) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction). Development of new in situ/operando techniques for studies of functional nanomaterials.

Hendrik Hamann

Dr. Hamann is a Hamann Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and AI Chief Scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Environment, Biology, Nuclear Science and Nonproliferation. Before joining BNL and SBU, Hendrik worked for 26 years at IBM Research, most recently in the role of Chief Science Officer at the TJ Watson Research Center, where he was responsible for the development of AI foundation models for accelerated scientific discovery. He has authored more than 260 scientific papers, holds over 180 patents and has won several awards including the 2016 AIP Prize for Industrial Applications of Physics. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the NY Academy of Sciences. Hendrik is also a Visiting Professor at Yamagata University and Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Hendrik is a board member and advisor to universities and has served extensively including as a member of the standing committee for Geographical and Geospatial Sciences at the National Academies of Sciences.

Jiangyong Jia

JiaDr. Jia is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and holds a joint appointment with BNL in the Physics Department.  He is  studying the properties of the dense nuclear matter created in elativistic heavy ion collisions. Under extremely high temperature and density, such matter exist in the form of quasi-free quarks and gluons (Quark-Gluon Plasma or QGP), whose interactions are scribed by the Quantum ChromoDynamics theory (QCD). They seek to recreate and study QGP in the laboratory and to understandits underlying QCD theory. Our research is carried out at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at BNL and at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Their group is involved with the PHENIX and ATLAS experiments respectively, at each of these accelerator facilities

Peter Khalifah

KhalifahDr. Khalifah is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and holds a joint appointment at BNL in the Chemistry Division.  His research addresses solid state chemistry, specifically periodic solids which provide the backbone of the high-tech industry due to their amplification of the interactions between individual atomic and molecular building blocks assembled within their crystalline lattices. His group focuses on designing functionality into crystalline solids using elemental substitution and structural control to fine-tune the energy levels of bulk materials. Our expertise in materials synthesis, structural characterization, and physical properties measurements allows us to tackle all aspects of this “internal design” process.

Dmitri Kharzeev

KharzeevDr. Kharzeev, a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and a joint appointment Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate, is interested in all aspects of the modern theory of strong interactions - Quantum Chromo-Dynamics (QCD), and its applications to the description of experimentally accessible phenomena. He is closely involved in theoretical research related to the programs at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at BNL and Large Hadron Collider at CERN. In particular, he studies the ways in which the underlying quark-gluon structure of hadrons and nuclei determines the dynamics of their interactions and the salient features of the visible Universe. Many of these features stem from topology of non-Abelian gauge theories that form the current Standard Model of the physical world. Dmitri also believes that all sub-fields of physics are deeply connected, and cross-disciplinary interactions are necessary for the advancement of science. For example, he argues that topology holds the key to understanding many universal dynamical properties of systems at vastly different scales, from femto-meter (quarks and gluons of QCD), to nano-meter (e.g. topological insulators and graphene), to parsec (e.g. magnetic helicity and polarization of cosmic microwave background).

Pavlos Kollias

KolliasDr. Kollias is a Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and holds a joint appointment in Environmental Sciences and Technologies at BNL.  His research group focuses on the physical understanding of the atmospheric component of the hydrological cycle and the improved representation of cloud and precipitation processes in global, regional and cloud scale numerical models. Our group is also interest in the use of radars in weather and climate research, from severe weather nowcasting to cloud-scale processes. Synergetic remote sensing observations from both space-based and ground-based sensors and their clever use through the development of new inversion algorithms and adaptive sampling strategies constitute our approach for probing clouds and precipitation in their natural environment. As part of our research we use a wide variety of observational platforms, however, millimeter wavelength radars are our primary observing tool for diagnosing the structure, kinematics and microphysics of clouds and precipitation. For more information visit the Clouds and Radars Research Group web site.

Qiang Li

Dr. Li, in the Department of Physics andLi Astronomy, as a SUNY Empire Innovation Professor, holds a joint appointment at BNL to lead the Advanced Energy Materials Group. He graduated from University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei) with a bachelor’s degree in science in 1986 and came to the US on the CUSPEA (China-U.S. Physics Examination and Application) program under
direction of Prof. T.D. Lee, a Nobel laureate. Afterfive years atIowa State University, where he received his PhD in physics in 1991, Li joined the Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). At BNL, he is a physicist with tenure, and has been a lead principal investigator ofthe DOE Office of Science’s superconducting materials program for over a decade and a half. In 2009, Li became the newly created Advanced Energy Materials Group Leader. He has led BNL’s effort in a number of DOE projects from high temperature superconductors for grid scale energy storage, wind power generation, and next generation
electrical machine,to vehicle waste heatrecovery by thermoelectrics. Li’s research interests range from basic physics and material sciences of
superconductors,thermoelectrics, and topological quantum materials to their applications in energy and quantum information technology.  He is a Fellow of American Physical Society, and a recipient of R&D 100 award.


Vladimir N. Litvinenko

LitvinenkoDr. Litvinenko is a Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department and holds a joint appointment in BNL's Collider Accelerator Department.  Litvinenko joined Brookhaven as a senior physicist in 2003, and he is currently head of the Accelerator Physics Group for Brookhaven's newest facility for nuclear physics research, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. After joining BNL in 2003, Litvinenko made critical contributions to R&lD on the high-energy electron cooling of RHIC and to discoveries in designing high-brightness electron beam injection to an energy recovery linac machine. He also played a key role in the National Synchrotron Light Source II team developing the design philosophy for this unique light source. With colleagues, he also established the Center for Accelerator Science & Education at Stony Brook University and BNL, where he is a co-director and teaches students. In 2004, the International Free Electron Laser (FEL) community awarded him the FEL Prize for his outstanding contributions for FEL science and technology.

Mengkun Liu

Dr. Liu is an Associate Professor in the   Liu Physics and Astronomy Department at Stony Brook University. He holds a joint appointment with BNL at NSLS II.  His research interests include physics of correlated electron systems, two-dimensional materials, infrared nano-optics and ultrafast time domain THz specrroscopy.  His prizes include a NFS Career Award (2021) and a Seaborg Institute Research Fellowship at Los Alamos National Lab (2009).

Deanne Rogers

Dr. Rogers is a Professor in the Rogers Geosciences Department at Stony Brook University and holds a joint appointment with BNL in their EBNN Directorate.  She uses remote sensing techniques, statistical methods, and field and laboratory spectroscopy to investigate earth and planetary surface processes.  Currently she is involved in method development for detecting uranium mining and milling processes from orbital assets, as part of nuclear non-proliferation efforts.  She is Co-Investigator on the Mars Odyssey mission and Participating Scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory mission.  She is a member of teh NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) sub-node at Stony Brook University and was previously a collaboratoe on the Mars Exploration Rover and OSIRIS-REx missions.  Rogers was named a NASA Planetary Science Division Early Career Fellow in 2009 and served on the editorial board for the Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets from 2018-2014.  She previously served on the National Academies' Committee on Planetary Protection.  She teaches courses in remote sensing, natural hazards, environmental geology, and geomorphology.

Esther Takeuchi

TakeuchiDr. Takeuchi is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering and in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook.  She holds a joint appointment with BNL and serves as Chair of their Interdisciplinary Sciences Department. The advancement of battery systems with high energy and power densities remains a lynch pin for new generations of energy storage. The full utilization of renewable energy sources such as wind, photovoltaic, hydroelectric, and geothermal power depends on the ability to store energy as in many cases the renewable energy is generated on an intermittent basis. Additionally, portable electronics, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, biomedical devices, and aerospace applications demand advanced batteries that can perform safely over many years. Finally, the way in which communities handle power demands through power grids may be affected significantly by new developments in energy storage. Specific areas of research. For next generation primary and secondary battery applications demanding long life, high energy density and high power, new strategies are needed for the rational design of electroactive materials and the concomitant engineering associated with battery design. Professor Takeuchi’s research efforts are collaborative in nature, involving scientists with a variety of research expertise. For example, we have an on-going research interest in the structure / function relationships among electroactive materials and redox properties as related to electrochemical energy storage. We also are actively involved in the synthesis of new electroactive materials and the subsequent analysis involving a variety of chemical and physical properties of materials. Further, we conduct fundamental mechanistic studies involving the complex interplay among redox processes, ion transport, and electrode precipitation / dissolution that are critical to the electrochemistry associated with battery science.

Dongyan Tan

TanDr. Tan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacological Sciences.  She holds a joint appointment with BNL in their Lab for Biomolecular Structure. Her research focuses on understanding the structure-function relationship of macromolecules that are involved in gene regulation. She is particularly interested in a DNA-protein complex called chromatin, and in how its structure-dynamics is regulated during normal development of multi-cellular organisms. She uses the state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and image analysis to obtain atomic-level structural information of the protein complex in various functional states in vivo and in vitro. These studies will provide valuable insights into our understanding of the complex and dynamic process of gene regulation.  She is working with the scientists from NSLS-II to bring the cryo-EM technology to BNL by establishing the first cryo-EM center there.  Besides running her research program, Dongyan has also been actively participating in different educational and outreach activities at SBU and BNL.

Navid Vafaei-Najafabadi

Navid Vafaei-Najafabadi

Dr. Vafaei-Najafabadi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and has a joint appointment in BNL's Accelerator Test Facility. His research interests lie at the intersection of accelerator physics, laser physics, and plasma physics. Plasma, often referred to as the fourth state of matter, consists of ionized atoms or molecules, where electrons and ions are not bound to each other and can freely move. The interaction of tera-watt-class lasers with plasma generates forces that are thousands of times stronger than those that can be sustained by ordinary, neutral matter. His research objective is to harness the enormous forces generated in laser-plasma interactions to develop compact sources of high energy particles (primarily electrons) and x-ray radiation. These novel sources have the potential to revolutionize various fields of science and technology, from medical imaging and cancer treatment to advanced materials research and high-energy physics experiments. This research is ideally served by the unique laser and particle beam sources at the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) of the Brookhaven National laboratory. In addition to advancing the goals of his research, which is in part funded by his NSF CAREER Award, he is the Facility Scientist at ATF. As the Facility Scientist, he assists the ATF Director with assessing priority research directions and upgrade paths for the ATF facilities through periodic science planning workshops and engaging with the user and broader scientific community.