Dear Foundry Community,
As 2024 comes to an end, I want to take a moment to reflect on some incredible milestones at the Molecular Foundry and share a few updates.
First, I’m proud to report that in FY2024 (Oct 2023 – Sep 2024) the Foundry supported 1128 users, the highest we’ve ever served. Our users represent 451 projects from 195 institutions across 35 states and 23 countries, resulting in an estimated 311 publications where 61% were high impact (I.F. >7 as defined by DOE), another record high. You can read about the results from some of these collaborations on the Foundry website and review our interactive factsheet for FY2024.
We also recently closed our fall proposal call, which brought in a record number of new proposals from our community. Thank you to everyone who submitted, and we look forward to enabling exciting new projects in the year ahead. This level of interest and increase in important metrics across the board speaks to your impact as a user community and the demand for the resources and expertise we offer in collaborative partnership.
In other news, I am also delighted to welcome Tom Darlington to the Foundry! Tom joins us as a Scientific Engineering Associate in the Imaging Facility, where he will bring his expertise to support users and staff on all scanning probe microscopies, in particular to enable and develop advanced Scanning Probe Microscopy measurements such as frequency modulated Kelvin probe force microscopy and time resolved Scanning Nearfield Optical Microscopy to correlate structural, electronic, and dynamical material information at scales inaccessible to conventional techniques. Please join me in giving him a warm welcome.
I also want to highlight two opportunities to shape the Foundry’s future:
- We are seeking nominations for researchers to join our Proposal Review Board. The Board plays a crucial role in evaluating user proposals and ensuring we maintain a high standard of scientific excellence. If you know someone who would be a great fit, we encourage you to submit a nomination or two through this form by December 9, 2024.
- Elections for the User Executive Committee (UEC) are now open. The UEC represents the interests of our user community and helps guide the Foundry’s operations and priorities. You can vote for the next representatives here, through December 4, 2024.
As we approach the holiday season, I want to express my deepest gratitude to each member of the Molecular Foundry community. Your passion, resilience, and collaborative spirit are the driving forces behind our accomplishments and a constant inspiration for us all.
Warm regards,
Andy
Andrew Minor
Interim Foundry Director
Read the November 2024 Newsletter
