Dr. Raymond Schaak
Dr. Raymond Schaak is the DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry in the Chemistry Department at Penn State University. Dr. Schaak also has a Courtesy appointment in the Chemical Engineering Department at Penn State and is part of the Penn State Materials Research Institute. Dr. Schaak received a B.S. degree in chemistry from Lebanon Valley College in 1998. In 2001, he received a Ph.D. in materials chemistry from Penn State University under the direction of Professor Thomas Mallouk, where he demonstrated the concept of solid-state retrosynthesis for the stepwise and predictable topotactic synthesis of bulk and nanostructured perovskite oxide materials. From 2001–2003, he was a postdoctoral research associate with Professor Robert Cava at Princeton University, where he worked on the synthesis and physical property characterization of metal carbide, boride, phosphide, oxide, and alloy superconductors. In 2003, Dr. Schaak began his independent career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University. In 2007, he moved to Penn State University as an Associate Professor of Chemistry and was promoted to Professor in 2011. Dr. Schaak was appointed as the DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry in 2013. His research group focuses on developing new chemical strategies for the synthesis of nanoscale solid-state materials and applying these materials to problems at the forefront of modern materials research. Dr. Schaak has received several prestigious awards, including an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (1999), an NSF CAREER Award (2006), a Beckman Young Investigator Award (2006), a DuPont Young Professor Grant (2006), a Sloan Research Fellowship (2007), a Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award (2007), a Research Corporation Scialog Award for Solar Energy Conversion (2010), the National Fresenius Award (2011), the Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal in the Physical Sciences (2012), the ACS Inorganic Nanoscience Award (2016), and the ACS Akron Section Award (2020). In 2017, Dr. Schaak was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and in 2022, Dr. Schaak received the Lebanon Valley College Distinguished Alumnus Award, which is one of LVC’s highest honors. Dr. Schaak served as Awards Committee co-chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Inorganic Chemistry (ACS DIC) from 2007–2011 and as chair of the ACS DIC Nanoscience subdivision in 2013. Dr. Schaak also served on the Cottrell Scholar Selection Committee of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Journal of Solid State Chemistry, and is both an Associate Editor of ACS Nano (since 2010) and the inaugural Deputy Editor of ACS Nanoscience Au, which launched in 2021.
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Education and Experience
- 2001 – 2003 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, Princeton University (with Prof. Robert J. Cava)
- 1998 – 2001 Ph.D., chemistry, Pennsylvania State University (with Prof. Thomas E. Mallouk)
- 1994 – 1998 B.S., chemistry (honors, ACS certified), Lebanon Valley College
Appointments
- 2019 – present Professor (by courtesy), Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
- 2013 – present DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University
- 2011 – 2013 Professor, Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University
- 2007 – 2011 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University
- 2003 – 2007 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University
Honors and Awards (Selected)
- Lebanon Valley College Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2022
- ACS Akron Section Award, 2020
- AAAS Fellow, 2017
- ACS Inorganic Nanoscience Award (ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry), 2016
- Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal in the Physical Sciences, 2012
- National Fresenius Award (American Chemical Society & Phi Lambda Epsilon), 2011
- Research Corporation Scialog Award (Solar Energy Conversion), 2010 – 2013
- Kavli Fellow, 2010
- Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award, 2007 – 2012
- Sloan Research Fellowship, 2007 – 2009
- DuPont Young Professor Grant, 2006 – 2009
- Beckman Young Investigator Award, 2006 – 2009
- NSF CAREER Award, 2006 – 2011
- Materials Research Society Graduate Student Award (Silver), 2000
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 1999-2001
- University Graduate Fellowship, Pennsylvania State University, 1998-1999
- Andrew Bender Memorial Chemistry Award, Lebanon Valley College, 1998
- Phi Alpha Epsilon Honors Society, Lebanon Valley College, 1998
- Physical Chemistry Award, Lebanon Valley College, 1997
- Sophomore Achievement Award in Chemistry, Lebanon Valley College, 1996
- Freshman Achievement Award in Chemistry, Lebanon Valley College, 1995
Professional Activities and Affiliations (Selected)
Editorships
- Deputy Editor, ACS Nanoscience Au (2020 – present)
- Associate Editor, ACS Nano (2010 – present)
- Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Solid State Chemistry (2010 – present)
- Guest Editor, Accounts of Chemical Research, thematic issue on “Transformative Inorganic Nanocrystals” (2021)
- Guest Editor, Journal of Solid State Chemistry, special issue on “Solid State Chemistry on the Nanoscale: Achievements, Challenges, and Opportunities” (August 2008)
American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry (ACS DIC)
- Member, Strategic Planning Committee, ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry (2014)
- Chair-elect and chair, Nanoscience subdivision, ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry (2012 – 2013)
- Co-Chair, Awards Committee, ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Executive Committee (2007 – 2011)