Mietek Jaroniec, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences and one of the most highly cited scientists in the fields of chemistry and materials science, recently received two significant honors. He was appointed to the editorial board of the journal Science Advances, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which also publishes the journal Science. In addition, he accepted an invitation to attend an award ceremony in his native Poland to receive Doctor Honoris Causa from Poznan University of Technology on Nov. 28 of this year.
Science Advances is a high-impact, open-access journal encompassing research in a broad range of disciplines, including engineering, technology and social science. It is one of six peer-reviewed journals published by AAAS. Dr. Jaroniec will serve as an associate editor and review submitted articles in the fields of materials science and engineering.
“Being asked to serve in an editorial role for any high-quality scientific journal is an indication of recognition and appreciation of one’s professional accomplishments and standing in the field, and it also significantly increases the visibility of his/her institution,” Dr. Jaroniec says. “This is particularly the case for the top journals such as those published by AAAS. More importantly, it also provides me with a unique opportunity to give back to the international scientific community.”
Dr. Jaroniec’s recent research focus is on the development of well-defined nanomaterials, especially carbon nanomaterials with precise uniform porosity, for environmental, energy-related and biomedical applications. For thousands of years, carbons have been used in everyday life ranging from air and water purification and metallurgy to medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and military applications. Today, further research in nanomaterials is still needed because many applications including adsorption, catalysis, separations, gas storage and environmental cleanup, drug delivery, sensing devices, optoelectronics, nanotechnology, energy storage and conversion require materials with precisely tailored properties.
“We are still in the beginning of an exciting journey, and a lot will be done in the development of novel ordered nanostructures and especially in the area of their applications,” Dr. Jaroniec says.
Before joining the faculty at Kent State in 1991, Dr. Jaroniec obtained his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry at the Marie Curie-Sklodowska University in Poland in 1972 and 1976 and a Doctor of Science degree in physical chemistry in 1979 before serving as a professor there in the Department of Theoretical Chemistry from 1972-1991.
Dr. Jaroniec has earned several honors and awards from all over the world including the Medal of Marie Sklodowska-Curie by the Polish Chemical Society, the Distinguished Scholar Award (2002), Advisor Excellence Award (2007), College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Teacher Award (2010) and the President’s Faculty Excellence Award (2016) at Kent State. He has served on several journal advisory and editorial boards and is a member of several scientific organizations including the American Chemical Society. He has edited several books and published more than 1,000 scientific articles and communications in international journals.
To see Dr. Jaroniec’s full profile and a list of his publications, visit www.kent.edu/chemistry/mietek-jaroniec.
For more information about Kent State’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, visit www.kent.edu/chemistry.