Principal Investigator: Justin B. Sambur

Justin Sambur, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Monfort Professor, College of Natural Sciences, Colorado State University. March 7, 2024

Justin Sambur

(he/him/his)

  • Email: jsambur@colostate.edu
  • Phone: (970)-491-3096
  • Office: Chemistry C229D
  • Title: Associate Professor of Chemistry

Education

  • NSF ACC-F Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemistry, Cornell University (Advisor: Peng Chen)
  • Ph.D., Chemistry, Colorado State University (Advisor: Bruce Parkinson)
  • B.S., Chemistry, SUNY-Binghamton (Advisor: David Doetschmann)

Research Interests

About

Justin is an Associate Professor and Monfort Professor in the Chemistry Department and Materials Science & Engineering program at CSU. Justin received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from SUNY-Binghamton in 2006 under the guidance of Dr. David Doetschmann. He received his doctorate in 2011 from Colorado State University in Chemistry under the guidance of Dr. Bruce Parkinson, where he focused on quantum dot and polymer sensitized solar cells. From there, Dr. Sambur worked as a NSF ACC-F Post Doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Peng Chen at Cornell University. In 2016, Dr. Sambur returned to Colorado State University as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and developed a research program focused on advancing electrochemical imaging methods for energy-related research problems. In that time, the Sambur lab has published nearly 20 peer reviewed papers on solar energy conversion and electrochemical energy storage. His most recent awards include the 2024 Monfort Professor (CSU), Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, Royce W. Murray Young Investigator Award (2022), the NSF Career Award (2020), the DOE Early Career Award (2020), Scialog Fellowship : Advanced Energy Storage (2019), the Norman Edmund Inspiration Award (2017), and the Air Force Young Investigator Award (2017).

Research

Imagine a global society powered by clean and abundant renewable energy. To make this transition possible, society must transform both the way it produces and consumes energy. Dr. Sambur’s research program thus targets both required transformations: solar energy conversion to boost clean fuel production, and electro-chemical energy storage to reprogram consumption. The group focuses on developing fundamental knowledge of nanoscale materials that promise to make these transitions possible. The Sambur group develops new imaging tools to “see” nanomaterials function in working device environments and uses this knowledge to guide materials design. The long-term goal is to advance basic energy science to transform the way society consumes and produces energy.

Honors and Awards