Juan Claudio Nino Named Jefferson Science Fellow – Department of Materials Science & Engineering

University of Florida endowed professor Juan Claudio Nino, Ph.D., has been awarded a 2017-2018 Jefferson Science Fellowship by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Nino is one of 14 academic scientists, engineers and physicians who were selected from institutions of higher learning from around the country this year. Within the U.S. Department of State, he will work at the Bureau of Energy Resources in the Office of Energy Transformation, analyzing energy technology drivers, trends, and policies to support the integration of more efficient, secure, and renewable energy options.

Nino’s research focuses on ceramics, polymers, bio-inspired materials, and their composites. His lab is currently working towards optimizing and developing advanced functional materials for energy conversion and storage, high frequency and high-temperature electronics, neural networks, and semiconductors and scintillators for radiation detection.

“Juan is a leader in materials engineering and in developing innovative energy solutions,” said Cammy Abernathy, dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. “He’s an ideal candidate for this fellowship, a great ambassador for the college, and I’m proud to see him serve our country in this capacity.”

Nino earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. He was a lecturer at the Colombian Engineering School before joining Pennsylvania State University, where he completed his doctoral degree in materials science and engineering. His postdoctoral appointment focused on ferroelectric thin films at the Materials Research Institute at State College in Pennsylvania. He joined the University of Florida in 2003 and established the Nino Research Group (NRG), which focuses on investigating advanced energy materials to enhance their efficiency, performance and sustainability.

He received the National Science Foundation’s CAREER and American Competitiveness and Innovation awards and the J. Bruce Wagner, Jr. Young Investigator award from the Electrochemical Society. In 2014, he received the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright U.S. Scholar Innovation and Technology Award. Last year, Nino served at the National Science Foundation as an expert within the Division of Materials Research. He is currently an associate editor for the Journal of the American Ceramics Society, and a coordinating editor for the Journal of Electroceramics.

The 2017-2018 Jefferson Science Fellows are the 13^th class selected since the program was established by the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State in 2003. The one-year assignments will begin in August of 2017.