Dr. Young-Seok Shon

Bio  

Dr. Young-Seok Shon is a professor of chemistry and lead principal investigator of the Keck Energy Materials Program at CSULB. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in chemistry from Sogang University in South Korea. He carried out doctoral research with Dr. T. R. Lee at the University of Houston, United States, where he received his PhD in Chemistry in 1999. Between 1999 and 2001 he held his postdoctoral position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (with Dr. R. W. Murray). He began his academic career at Western Kentucky University (2001–2006), before continuing at CSULB. He got the Cottrell College Science Award from Research Corporation in 2003 and several Faculty Research Awards from WKU (2005) and CSULB (2013, 2018, 2022, 2023). His current main research interests are i) the study and application of colloidal metal nanoparticles and lipid-nanoparticle assemblies funded by the National Science Foundation and ii) photosynthetic nanoreactors funded by the Department of Energy. He currently serves as a member in the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Applied Nano Materials. 

Awards  

·        CNSM Faculty Award for Excellence (aka The Pretty Darn Good Professor (PDGP) Award, California State University, Long Beach, 2023

·        Distinguished Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity (RSCA) Mentoring Award, California State University, Long Beach, 2022

·        President's Award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement, California State University Long Beach, 2018

·        Distinguished Faculty Research, Scholarly and Creative Achievement Award, California State University Long Beach, 2013

·        Ogden College Research and Creativity Faculty Award, Western Kentucky University, 2005

Grants (Total ~$3.8 million : ~2.0 million from external sources as a PI)  

·      Department of Energy, Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC), Ensembles of Photosynthetic Nanoreactors (EPN), 2022-2026, $190K

·        National Science Foundation, Chemical Catalysis - RUI, 2020-2023, $213K

·        National Institute of Health, SCORE-SC3, 2016-2020, $442K

·        CSUPERB, Joint Venture Award, 2015-2016 (co-PI)

·        W. M. Keck Foundation, KEMP, 2015-2019, $500K + 250K matching

·        National Institute of Health, SCORE-SC3, 2011-2015, $420K

·        National Science Foundation, NSF-MRI, (four times as co-PI), 2003, 2005, 2013, 2021

·        American Chemical Society – Petroleum Research Funds, 2009-2012

·        NASA, Ky Space Grant Consortium Research Grants (three times), 2003, 2004, 2005

·        Kentucky Science & Engineering Foundation (KSEF), Emerging Ideas Research Grant, 2004

·        Research Corporation, Cottrell College Science Award, 2003