EMSL researchers selected for membership, Board of Directors for Washington State Academy of Sciences

Chongmin Wang, materials scientist with the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory and Laboratory Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), has been selected to join the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS). Additionally, Ljiljana Paša-Tolić, PNNL Laboratory Fellow and lead scientist for visual proteomics at EMSL, has been named to the academy’s board of directors.

The academy comprises more than 300 elected members who are nationally recognized for their scientific and technical expertise.

Academy members provide scientific and engineering assessments to inform public policy making and work to increase the impact of research in Washington State. Board members are responsible for governing the affairs, property, and management of WSAS.

Improving energy materials and storage

Wang has spent the better part of his career refining and growing capabilities in a type of imaging that details the structure of materials at the atomic level, especially for energy materials over the last several decades. Specifically, he is a recognized expert and leader in aberration-corrected high-resolution scanning/transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. He and his team use these tools to probe materials’ microstructure and chemistry in the areas of energy conversion, storage, and sustainability. His work helps evaluate and refine the performance of energy storage materials.

“I am excited and feel lucky to be inducted into the Washington State Academy of Sciences,” Wang said. “It presents an opportunity to think more carefully and critically of what we can do for Washington State in the field of energy storage.”

Wang’s work in the development of in situ transmission electron microscopy for electrochemical studies earned him a Microscopy Today Innovation Award in 2012, as well as a Materials Research Society Innovation in Materials Characterization Award in 2016, which he shares with two other researchers. He holds several patents for battery materials and technology and is consistently ranked as a highly cited researcher in materials science by Clarivate Analytics.

Through his research, Wang has partnered with large companies like Apple, in addition to smaller, but growing companies like Group14 and EnerG2, which are both based in Washington State. With Apple, he contributed to a project to develop next-generation anodes for rechargeable batteries. With Group14, he is researching silicon as a next-generation anode for high-capacity rechargeable batteries.

Wang also values the opportunity to mentor new and up-and-coming scientists in his field. He has mentored several postdoctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and high school students through programs such as the High School Student Research Intern Program, Young Women in Sciences, and the Department of Energy Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships Program. His students and postdoctoral researchers have earned national and international recognition.

Wang said he hopes to use his new induction to the academy to help grow awareness about the work being done locally in Washington State for improving materials for batteries and other energy storage devices.

“There are some great things happening in Washington in energy storage, but we also have a long way to go,” he said. “Combining resources like hydropower in Washington, with the companies based here, locally, I’m excited for what we can achieve. We need to think of clever ways to do things to reduce our carbon emissions."

Wang is one of six PNNL researchers selected to join the WSAS. He and his fellow newly elected members, which in total comprise 25 newly elected members and five new members from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, will be inducted at the 15^th Annual Members’ Meeting on September 15.

Leading the charge for proteomics

Paša-Tolić is an internationally recognized pioneer and leader in high-throughput and top-down proteomics. She is known for her scientific leadership in analytical chemistry and mass spectrometry, including the development of transformative instrumentation and methods for biological and environmental research.

In 2019 and 2021, she was one of the top scientists selected for The Analytical Scientist’s Top 100 Power List, which recognizes her pioneering contributions to ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry for applications ranging from environmental ecology to medicine.

She served on numerous editorial and advisory committees and is serving on the board of directors for the American Society for Mass Spectrometry and Consortium for Top-down Proteomics. She has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and presented at over 100 conferences, seminars, and workshops.

Paša-Tolić has also mentored more than 50 postdoctoral researchers, graduate, undergraduate, and high school students, many of whom are now established experts in academia and industry. She has acted as an organizer for the Mass Spectrometry in Biology and Medicine Summer School in Dubrovnik, Croatia, since 2007.

Paša-Tolić said the WSAS plays a critical role in promoting science and providing a framework for solving issues that are important to Washington State.

“I am passionate about STEM and enjoy working collaboratively across disciplines to prepare the next generation of STEM talent,” she said. “Interdisciplinary science is critical for the development of new capabilities, which drive and support innovative solutions for human health, energy, and global environmental challenges.”

Paša-Tolić said she looks forward to participating and actively creating opportunities to tackle important issues focusing on education and workforce development, as well as environmental and climate change. She will begin her term on the WSAS board of directors after their Annual Members Meeting on September 15.

For more information about the WSAS, visit washacad.org.