Appointment of Nella Vargas-Barbosa
Nella Vargas-Barbosa appointed Professor of Electrochemistry at the University of Bayreuth on 1 August
15 September 2023 – Since 2020, Prof. Dr Nella Vargas-Barbosa has headed the Young Investigator Group "Interfacial Phenomena in Solid State Batteries" at Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS; IEK-12) of Forschungszentrum Jülich. On 1 August 2023, she obtained the Chair of Electrochemistry at the University of Bayreuth.
Career in Electrochemistry
Vargas-Barbosa began her career in chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico, where she completed her Bachelor's degree in 2010. Her doctorate followed in 2015 at Pennsylvania State University. From 2015 to 2018, she conducted research at the University of Marburg, for which she received the Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 2019, she started as a Young Investigator Group leader at Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, and in 2020 she founded the Young Investigator Group "Interfacial Phenomena in Solid State Batteries" at Helmholtz Institute Münster.
"I am very grateful to Helmholtz Institute Münster and Forschungszentrum Jülich for their support during my time as a group leader. Prof. Dr Martin Winter gave me a lot of insights into the tasks of a PI and helped me build up a network inside and outside Forschungszentrum Jülich. My colleagues Dr Marcus Bernemann and Dr Hinrich Meyer showed me how an institute works and how to keep it running from a human resources and financial perspective. I am particularly grateful to the Forschungszentrum Jülich's Board of Directors for the supportive infrastructure provided to my Young Investigator Group, for example, training courses, opportunities to learn about the review process and to exchange ideas with other group leaders. These opportunities make Forschungszentrum Jülich a unique and excellent place to pursue and build an independent career as a scientist," explains the young professor.
Research Focus on Solid-State Batteries
At the University of Bayreuth, Vargas-Barbosa will conduct research in the field of electrochemistry. One focus will continue to be the characterisation of hybrid material concepts for solid-state batteries. The investigation of light-driven charge transfer and transport processes for energy storage is on the agenda.
"I hope that my group can continue to contribute to electrochemical systems making a greater contribution to energy generation and storage worldwide. This can only be achieved, if we have a comprehensive understanding of all the processes that take place at electrochemical interfaces," Vargas-Barbosa explains.
The Team Wishes All the Best!
"We are very grateful for the time Nella has enriched our team with her research in the field of solid-state batteries and are happy for her that she will have an excellent opportunity to further expand her research activities in electrochemistry with an appointment at the University of Bayreuth. We wish her only the best for her professional and personal future in Bayreuth," says the scientific director of the Helmholtz Institute Münster Prof. Dr Martin Winter, bidding farewell to the esteemed colleague on behalf of the entire team.