Thimsen receives CAREER award to study low-temperature plasma

Thimsen
Thimsen

Elijah Thimsen, of the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, received a five-year $500,000 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. He will use the grant to study how chemical reactions occurring in low-temperature plasma move toward a superlocal equilibrium state.

CAREER awards support junior faculty who model the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of the two within the context of their organization’s mission. One-third of current McKelvey Engineering faculty have received the award.

At equilibrium, plasma is the stable state of matter at very high temperatures of thousands of degrees — for example, on the surface of the sun. In the laboratory, it is possible to produce low-temperature plasma by selectively exciting electrons to very high temperatures while the atoms and molecules in the system remain near room temperature. Plasma is useful for a range of technologically valuable applications, from lasers to manufacturing computer chips.

Read more about the work of Thimsen, assistant professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering.

Leave a Comment

Comments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.