Newswise — Frédéric Perras, a post-doctoral researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, has been awarded a Banting Fellowship by the Government of Canada and the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Perras joined the Ames Laboratory in 2015 after he was named the Laboratory’s first Spedding Fellow, a position created to recognize exceptional research achievements. He conducts research in the group of Marek Pruski, Ames Laboratory senior scientist specializing in solid-state NMR spectroscopy, including dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP-NMR).

The Ames Laboratory’s new DNP-NMR spectrometer, the first of its kind focused on materials chemistry in North America, was a major attraction of post-doctoral study for Perras.

“I have privileged access to one of the best materials characterization tools in the world, a unique opportunity here at Ames Laboratory,” said Perras. “The research I performed at the University of Ottawa was mainly focused on theoretical concepts in NMR spectroscopy. With the unique laboratory structure of the Ames Laboratory, which fosters collaborations between different groups that create exciting new materials, my work is now much more solution-driven. This enables me to develop new exciting NMR techniques to solve unique structural puzzles.”

“Having a state-of-the-art instrument is obviously important, but you have to play it like a whiz to reach its full potential,” said Pruski. “This is what Fred does. He has been a tremendous asset to our research program, helping not only in characterization of novel materials for energy applications, but also developing the new capabilities of DNP.”

Perras earned his PhD in physical chemistry under David Bryce at the University of Ottawa in 2014.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding of $140,000 CAD to Canadian post-doctoral researchers the program has identified as top-tier scientific and leadership talent. The fellowship is one of only 24 awarded annually, and will support Perras’ research for two years beginning in October 2016.

Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory operated by Iowa State University. Ames Laboratory creates innovative materials, technologies and energy solutions. We use our expertise, unique capabilities and interdisciplinary collaborations to solve global problems.

DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.