Chemistry postdoctoral researcher named Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow

Kelsie Wentz, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, has been named a 2023 Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow. She is a member of the lab of Second Decade Society Associate Professor Rebekka Klausen.

Image caption: Kelsie Wentz

Image credit: Courtesy of Kelsie Wentz

Wentz will start a two-year project to develop hybrid inorganic-organic conjugated polymers with unique semiconducting properties. As consumer demand for semiconductors continues to rise, chemists are working toward making inexpensive and flexible electron-conducting components. Wentz aims to establish a new chemical approach to the construction of semiconductors containing silicon-based charge carriers. Strategically using polymers (small molecules linked together by strong bonds) can achieve more stable materials with improved physical properties—a necessary step toward developing the next generation of electronics.

Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows are chosen to underscore the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation's mission of supporting basic research in the chemical sciences and chemical instrumentation. They were selected after a three-part review led by a panel of scientific experts.

The fellowship provides salary and research support to postdoctoral scholars with the highest potential for success in an independent academic career in the chemical sciences, and to assist in their moves from mentored yet independent researchers to tenure-track positions. Funding may extend up to three years.