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Blanchard Professor of Chemistry: Larry Sneddon
December 4, 2007, Volume 54, No. 14

 

Sneddon

SAS Dean Rebecca Bushnell has announced that Dr. Larry Sneddon has been named the Blanchard Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Sneddon has been a member of Penn’s chemistry faculty for more than three decades. He served as department chair from 2002 to 2005 and is also a longtime member of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter. From 2005 to 2007, he held the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Chair in Chemistry.

A leading inorganic and materials chemist, Dr. Sneddon is currently overseeing research on the syntheses and properties of a wide range of molecular, polymeric and solid-state materials. His interdisciplinary research on advanced ceramics has led to the formation of these technologically important materials in previously unattainable nano- and micro-structured forms. Most recently, he is leading a new research program focused on the development of methods for chemical hydrogen storage, a key technology needed to enable the use of hydrogen as an alternative energy carrier in transportation applications.

Dr. Sneddon has coauthored more than 200 publications, and he has delivered presentations at over 150 conferences. His work has been published in leading chemical and materials journals, including the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Inorganic Chemistry and Chemistry of Materials. In recognition of his contributions to the chemical sciences, he has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Award for Senior US Scientists, the Boron in the Americas Award for Distinguished Achievements in Boron Science and a fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Most recently, he received the US Department of Energy’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Hydrogen Storage Research and Development. His honors at Penn include a Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching (Almanac April 15, 1997).

The Blanchard Chair in Chemistry was endowed by a gift from Misses Anna, Harriet and Maria Blanchard in 1907. The first Blanchard Professor was Edgar Fahs Smith, who also served as provost. The previous holder of the Blanchard Chair was the late Nobel laureate Dr. Alan MacDiarmid.

Almanac - December 4, 2007, Volume 54, No. 14