January 19, 2010 
Additional fellowship positions to be offered in Spring 2010
RICHLAND, Wash. - The D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab has selected the first-ever recipients of the Pacific Northwest Distinguished Post-Doctoral Fellowship.
Grant Johnson and Xiao Lin have been chosen as the 1st 2 distinguished post-doctoral fellows at PNNL. As part of the selection process, both candidates presented independent research proposals and, through the fellowship program, will gain backing to conduct their suggested research at PNNL for the next 2 to 3 years.
"We believe strongly in building the next generation of scientists and in advancing the frontiers of science," said Steven Ashby, deputy director for science and technology at PNNL. "I'm pleased we'll be able to expose these scientists to the unique capabilities, instrumentation and experts at PNNL while we also learn from their new ideas."
Johnson completed his doctorate in chemistry in July 2009 from Pennsylvania State University. There, he focused on analyzing the use of different types of oxygen in reactions stemming from metal oxide catalysts. At PNNL, Johnson's research will focus on using mass spectrometry as a tool to create new catalytic materials.
Lin has most recently worked as a Humboldt Fellow at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, Germany. While at PNNL, Lin will develop a detailed molecular-level understanding of the reactivity of carbon oxides with different types of surface structures, which should have applications in understanding catalysts.
In 2009, PNNL created the Pacific Northwest Distinguished Post-Doctoral Fellowship to attract outstanding researchers and build the future of scientific leadership for the Laboratory. These distinguished post-doc fellows gain a competitive salary, benefits and relocation expenses, plus potential extra backing for travel and conferences. The application process for the 2010 fellowship has begun. Applications are due no later than January 31st, and a preliminary review of current applicants has already begun.
More information can be found on the plan website, http://www.pnl.gov/research/pnwpostdoc.asp. Questions may be referred to university.recruiter@pnl.gov.
PNNL also hired in excess of 90 post-docs in the past year. Those positions are separate from the distinguished fellowship program.
Pacific Northwest National Lab is a D.O.E. Office of Science national Lab where interdisciplinary teams advance science and technology and deliver solutions to America's most intractable problems in energy, national security and the environment. PNNL employs 4,650 staff, has a $954 million yearly budget, and has been managed by Ohio-based Battelle since the lab's inception in 1965. Follow PNNL on Facebook, Linked In and Twitter.
