Jennifer Dionne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jennifer Anne Dionne
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Dionne in 2019
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| Citizenship | American |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, Materials Science, Radiology |
| Institutions | Stanford University |
| Thesis | Flatland Photonics: Circumventing Diffraction with Planar Plasmonic Architectures (2009, Awarded Francis and Milton Clauser Prize for best Caltech PhD thesis) |
| Doctoral advisor | Harry Atwater |
Jennifer (Jen) Dionne is an American scientist known for her groundbreaking work in nanophotonics. This field of science focuses on controlling light at a super tiny, nanometer scale. She is a professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University.
Dionne's research uses special materials and methods to watch and control what happens in chemical and biological processes. Her work helps solve important problems in world health and creating a more sustainable planet. She is also an editor for the science journal Nano Letters.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Jennifer Dionne was born on October 28, 1981, in Warwick, Rhode Island. Her mother, Sandra, was a nurse, and her father, George, was a cabinet maker. As a child, she was a figure skater but also loved science and math.
She went to Washington University in St. Louis and earned two bachelor's degrees in 2003: one in physics and another in systems science and mathematics. During college, she was part of the Mission Control team for Steve Fosset's attempt to fly a hot air balloon around the world by himself.
After college, she went to the Caltech for her master's and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Physics, which she completed in 2009. Her Ph.D. research was so impressive that it won an award for the best thesis at Caltech that year. She discovered new ways to control light using materials at a tiny scale.
A Career in Science
In 2010, Dionne started working as a professor at Stanford University. She quickly became a leader in her field. At Stanford, she has held several important roles, helping to improve the university's research labs and equipment for students and scientists.
What Does Her Research Focus On?
Dionne is a pioneer in figuring out how to control light at the level of atoms and molecules. Her work has helped create new areas of science.
One major area is plasmon photocatalysis. This involves using light and tiny metal particles to speed up chemical reactions. This could lead to better ways of making materials and fuels with less waste. Her team uses powerful microscopes to watch these chemical changes happen in real-time.
Another key part of her research is developing special surfaces called metasurfaces. These surfaces can shape and steer beams of light in very precise ways. Dionne uses this technology to build tools that can spot diseases and study how tiny molecules and cells work.
Her work aims to solve big challenges, from manufacturing products in an eco-friendly way to improving healthcare.
Awards and Recognition
Dionne has received many awards for her important scientific work.
- 2011: Named a Top Innovator under 35 by MIT Technology Review.
- 2013: Her work was featured in Oprah's list of 50 amazing things.
- 2014: Received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Barack Obama.
- 2015: Won the Sloan Research Fellowship for promising young scientists.
- 2016: Awarded the Adolph Lomb Medal for her contributions to optics.
- 2019: Received the Alan T. Waterman Award, which is given to the top American scientist under the age of 40.
- 2021: Named a Fellow of The Optical Society for her achievements in the field of light science.
Patents
A patent protects an invention so others can't copy it. Dionne holds several patents for her scientific inventions, including:
- New ways to trap tiny particles using light.
- Methods for directly finding proteins and other important biological molecules.
- Tools for creating better and more colorful displays.
- A method for building small, low-cost devices for scientific analysis.
