PNNL discovers great talent in Maria Sushko
Maria Sushko
(July 2009)
An expert in nanomaterials, Dr. Maria Sushko is leaving one of the largest cities in the world for the quiet campus, but intense research, of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Sushko comes to the Lab from University College London and London Centre for Nanotechnology.
Beginning at the Lab in May, she is working on understanding and modeling the electronic and structural properties of organic/inorganic interfaces. "These interfaces are materials with many holes—like Swiss cheese," said Maria. With a very large surface area, these materials, also known as mesoporous materials, can be used for energy transfer and sensing because one can pack a large number of receptors in these pores.
Further, she is developing theoretical models to describe how ions and electrons travel through very thin or nano interfaces between metals and semiconductors, and how one can effectively grow these interfaces. The aim of this research is to develop new materials for energy storage, batteries for hybrid fuel-efficient vehicles. This work is performed under the framework of PNNL's Transformational Materials Science Initiative.
Her background is in theoretical physics and experimental biophysics. For example, she has shown how molecules can visibly affect the electronic and mechanical properties of metals at the atomic level. She is well known for revealing the first quantitative model of highly sensitive nano-sensors, a scientific breakthrough that can be used for building reliable devices for point-of-care medical diagnostics.
Sushko has a Ph.D. in Polymer Physics from the Russian Academy of Science in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she conducted research on polymers containing fullerenes, carbon atoms forming the well-known buckyballs. Although Sushko has moved here from a large city she says, "The Tri-Cities is more like a countryside to me, and the country is where I used to spend my summers. I really feel good here."
Dr. Maria Sushko, welcome to the Lab!