By Ashton Wackym

Contributing Reporter

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Gary Brudvig, the Benjamin Silliman Professor of Chemistry and professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, was appointed last week as the director of Yales new Energy Sciences Institute.

The institute is the sixth such group added to Yales West Campus, and represents the newest leg of the Universitys push in sustainability science. As part of the institutes opening, Brudvig said he is looking not simply to move current faculty to West Campus, but to also hire new researchers. Although the facility opened earlier this month, Brudvig is still filling out his ranks in order to get projects started.

I am most excited to bring in 10 new faculty members in the energy area, Brudvig said. It is great for the University and will help to build a critical mass of faculty working in this area to Yale.

By bringing in new staff, Brudvig said he hopes to also bring in new ideas, perspectives and research opportunities, all key ingredients to the collaborative science mission of West Campus. While the emphasis of the Energy and Sciences Institute is research in energy storage, conservation and conversion, it is also part of a larger initiative to promote interdisciplinary research at Yale.

The institutes are independent, but we are hoping some of the faculty of the various institutes will have overlapping interests so that collaboration can take place, Brudvig said. The focus of West Campus is on interdisciplinary research.

The West Campus institutes generally represent the cross-pollination of ideas and disciplines, according to chemistry professor Jason Crawford. He added that the multi-institute model will succeed by drawing upon strengths collectively.

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West Campus welcomes newest institute