Peter Chupas of the Advanced Photon Source has been named one of the Chicago “40 Under 40: 2013” by Crain’s Chicago Business. Chupas, who is the Structural Science Group Leader in the X-ray Science Division (XSD) at Argonne National Laboratory, was chosen for his leadership in research and innovation. He heads a research team studying batteries that is harnessing Argonne's Advanced Photon Source, one of the world's most powerful x-ray sources.
According to the Crain’s Web site article (with accompanying video interview) “breakthroughs in rechargeable car batteries, new drugs and carbon dioxide sequestration are just a few of the promising technologies moving more quickly from the lab to the real world thanks to techniques developed by Peter Chupas.”
The annual “40 under 40” list highlights Chicago’s next generation of leaders spanning all walks of life, from artists to entrepreneurs, and from CEOs to scientists.
Crain’s notes that Chupas “thinks of his work as ‘a hobby as much as a job.’ And he has a pretty impressive toy to play with: Argonne's Advanced Photon Source, is one of the world's most powerful X-ray devices, and is unique in the U.S. as a source of high-energy X-rays.
“Mr. Chupas became [a] group leader four years ago after finding a faster way to study non-crystalline materials at the molecular level. Crystalline materials are relatively easy to examine because their molecules line up and repeat themselves, but the vast majority of materials are non-crystalline, requiring higher resolution to be viewed at the molecular level using techniques he developed.
‘Peter's work allows us to look at all sorts of materials and to look at them in the context in which they operate,’ says John Parise, a professor of geosciences and chemistry at Stony Brook University in New York who has collaborated on research with Mr. Chupas after serving on his Ph.D. thesis committee there. “
Since Crain's launched its annual 40 Under 40 feature in 1989, nearly 1,000 up-and-coming Chicagoans have earned the title, including Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Rahm Emanuel, Billy Corgan, Lisa Madigan, Nate Silver, Grant Achatz, Alpana Singh and Mary Zimmerman.
The Crain’s article is by Paul Merrion
The entire roster of Crain’s “40 under 40: 2013 can be found here.
The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science under contract DE-AC02-06CH11357.
The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory is one of five national synchrotron radiation light sources supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science to carry out applied and basic research to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels, provide the foundations for new energy technologies, and support DOE missions in energy, environment, and national security. To learn more about the Office of Science x-ray user facilities, visit http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/basic-energy-sciences/.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.