Clarkson University chemistry Ph.D. student Monu Joy has won one of the most prestigious international awards for young crystallography scholars -- the Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship from the International Centre for Diffraction Data.
The award supports the education and research program of promising graduate students in crystallography-related fields.
"This scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards one can receive as a young scholar within the international crystallography community," says Associate Professor Mario Wriedt, the Kodak CAMP Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science. "Monu's international recognition by this award highlights his hard work and dedication toward his crystallography-related research. I am convinced that his innovative contributions will have a positive impact on the field."
The science of crystallography has played a key role in the development of X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, and neutron diffraction for research of the atomic structure of matter. Crystallography is an interdisciplinary branch of science taught in departments of physics, chemistry, geology, molecular biology, metallurgy, and material science.
"My passion and expertise lie in crystallography, which allows me to utilize single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction methods to advance my research," says Joy.
Joy's thesis involves the design of magnetic composite materials for high-density data storage applications. These new functional materials have their origins in the synergistic functioning of metal-organic frameworks and molecular magnets.
Joy will utilize a broad range of experimental and computational techniques to design these materials, which are expected to feature advanced data storage densities that exceed state-of-the-art technologies by several orders of magnitude.
A native of Kottayam, Kerala, India, Joy formerly served as a staff crystallographer at Mahatma Gandhi University, after completing both his master of science and bachelor of science degrees in chemistry there.
To encourage promising graduate students to pursue crystallographically oriented research, the International Centre for Diffraction Data established the Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship Fund. Since the scholarship’s inception in 1991, the center has awarded 227 scholarships totaling $544,750 to aspiring crystallographers.
Read more at www.icdd.com/ludo-frevel-scholarship.
