CHE 598 Seminar: Global Health – The Push For Clean Energy and Accessible Diagnostics

About the event

Presenter: Dr. Jeffrey Bell, Department of Chemistry, Washington State University

Abstract:
Throughout the world, two major societal issues requiring profound attention are (i) the development of clean and efficient energy storing devices and (ii) access to appropriate healthcare. The synergistic relationship between the need for accessible diagnostics and clean energy stem from the recent recognition and importance of ‘Global Health’. Electrochemistry, which plays an important role in a variety of scientific pursuits, is heavily relied upon in the fields of diagnostics and sustainable energy and is thus well-suited to make significant contributions to Global Health. This utility, and diversity in implementation, stems from the ability of electrochemical systems to be easily modified, miniaturized, and used in the field. This talk will focus on our group’s efforts in advancing the Global Health initiative. Firstly, I will discuss a new approach for fabricating low-cost and highly selective sensors for diverse applications at the point-of-care (POC) using additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) technologies. Secondly, I will discuss our recent progress towards overcoming some of the current roadblocks in the field of energy storage and conversion as it relates to (i) aqueous redox batteries, through the incorporation of internal magnetic fields and (ii) electrocatalysis, using an emerging class of quantum materials.

Biography:
Dr. Bell earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Windsor in 2012. Following this, he joined the research group of Prof. Jichang Wang where he studied self-organizing nonlinear chemical and electrochemical systems. After receiving his PhD in Physical Chemistry in 2017 he joined the research group of Prof. George Whitesides at Harvard University as a postdoctoral fellow. Here, his research interests spanned low-cost diagnostics, magneto-electrochemistry, and the origin of life. Dr. Bell joined the faculty in the Chemistry Department at Washington State University in 2020 as an Assistant Professor. At WSU, Dr. Bell’s research group focuses on 3D printing, developing point-of-care diagnostic devices, Lorentz forces, and electrochemical energy storage.