Alexander Sinitskii, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded the Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award. The honor is presented each year to recognize an outstanding junior faculty member who has demonstrated creative research, extraordinary teaching abilities and academic promise.

“This is a well-deserved recognition of Dr. Sinitskii’s important work,” Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Ellen Weissinger said. “And more broadly, the campus should be proud of the quality of the faculty we’ve hired in the last few years. The level of teaching and research excellence among our new faculty continues to inspire all of us.”

In only two and a half years, Sinitskii’s research accomplishments have established him as a rising star at the interface of materials science, inorganic chemistry and nanoscience. A team of scientists led by Sinitskii has developed a chemical approach to mass producing graphene nanoribbons, a process that may provide an avenue to harnessing graphene’s conductivity.

“This scientific breakthrough from Sinitskii and his graduate students is surely about to draw worldwide attention to his research and to UNL,” said Xiao Cheng Zeng, professor of chemistry.

His growing presence in the research community has offered invitations for lectures at major universities. Since 2011, Sinitskii has given more than 20 conference presentations and seminars, including invited talks at international conferences. His work is also consistently published in a high-impact journal and most recently gained increased visibility with a publication in Nature: Communications, a top pan-science journal.

In addition to his research accomplishments, he maintains a strong dedication to teaching, outreach and mentorship. Sinitskii has developed an active service program in science outreach for prospective undergraduates and high school students, participating in the Chemistry Department’s involvement in Lincoln NanoDays, and UNL Chemistry Days.

“A large part of his success is due to his ability and passion to inspire his students,” said David Berkowitz, chair of the chemistry department.

Sinitskii will be recognized at Honors Convocation on April 13.