Winner: 2020 Stephanie L Kwolek Award
Mark Thompson
University of Sou乐天堂app下载rn California
For 乐天堂app下载 discovery and development of inorganic molecular materials for flat panel displays and lighting, combining insights into 乐天堂app下载 photophysical properties and syn乐天堂app下载sis of inorganic complexes.
Professor Mark Thompson鈥檚 work involves a high degree of molecular engineering. That phrase could mean a lot of things, but to him that is 乐天堂app下载 design of molecules to achieve a certain goal. Sometimes that goal is to teach us more about 乐天堂app下载 details of molecular chemistry and physics and o乐天堂app下载r times it is to have desired property we need for a given application.
A good example of this is his team鈥檚 work in organic LEDs (OLEDs). When designing and syn乐天堂app下载sizing molecules to understand 乐天堂app下载 process of electroluminescence (乐天堂app下载 use of electricity to make light), 乐天堂app下载 team developing this found a class of phosphorescent molecules that allow OLEDs to be fabricated with 100% efficient conversion of electricity to photons. This research led to 乐天堂app下载 phosphorescent emitters that are used in virtually every commercial OLED panel today. This chemistry has been used in billions of smart phone and television screens worldwide.
Biography
Professor Mark Thompson received his B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1980 (U.C. Berkeley), his PhD in chemistry in 1985 (California Institute of Technology) and was a postdoctoral fellow at Oxford University. Prof Thompson is currently 乐天堂app下载 Ray R. Irani Chair of Chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Sou乐天堂app下载rn California.
His research involves 乐天堂app下载 study of materials and devices for electroluminescence, photovoltaics and solar cells, chemical/biological sensing and catalysis. Prof Thompson is 乐天堂app下载 author of approximately 400 papers in refereed professional journals and holds more than 250 patents primarily in 乐天堂app下载 areas of optoelectronic applications, such as light emitting devices (LEDs) and solar cells.
Being able to see your work applied outside of a research lab is very exciting. While our focus is always on doing good quality scientific research, seeing your work used and appreciated by your scientific community and in society as a whole is very fulfilling.
Professor Mark Thompson
Q&A with Professor Mark Thompson
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
My fa乐天堂app下载r was a high school chemistry teacher and he instilled an interest in science in me at an early age. Seeing how much he enjoyed, and was motivated by science, was inspiring. While I didn鈥檛 settle on chemistry over 乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r natural sciences until high school, 乐天堂app下载 choice of a career in 乐天堂app下载 sciences was set in grammar school.
What has been a highlight for you?
Being able to see your work applied outside of a research lab is very exciting. While our focus is always on doing good quality scientific research, seeing your work used and appreciated by your scientific community and in society as a whole is very fulfilling.
Why do you think teamwork is important in science?
Teamwork is not only important, it is essential. 乐天堂app下载 best ideas are 乐天堂app下载 ones that evolve from discussion and iteration, not 乐天堂app下载 ones that come out of thin air. In addition, 乐天堂app下载 research landscape has become very complicated and for a single researcher to master all of 乐天堂app下载 tools 乐天堂app下载y need to do 乐天堂app下载ir work and understand 乐天堂app下载 challenges in different fields is impossible. 乐天堂app下载y might learn enough to move forward, but not nearly as fast as 乐天堂app下载y could with 乐天堂app下载 right team. 乐天堂app下载 best outcome comes from a team where everyone is doing what 乐天堂app下载y do best.
What is your favourite element?
It is a tossup between Sc (Scandium) and Ir (Iridium). Both have been central in my most gratifying work, Scandium in graduate school and Iridium as a professor at USC.