Dr. Elizabeth Sterner is presenting at the Postdoc Seminar Series on May 21st. Her presentation is titled “Sensing Trace Benzene in Humid Air”.
BIO: Dr. Elizabeth S. Sterner is a Postdoctoral Associate in Prof. Timothy M Swager’s group in the chemistry department. She earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Creighton University, where she worked in Prof. Stephen M. Gross’ group on the preparation of polymer/ionic liquid composite materials as electrically conductive semi-solids for use in lithium batteries and organic photovoltaics. She then moved on to the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, where she obtained her PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering. There she worked with Prof. E. Bryan Coughlin on the synthesis of complex polymers with photocleavable junctions and their applications to experimental polymer dynamics and photoetchable thermoplastics. Her current research is focused on the preparation of materials and devices for sensing volatile aromatic compounds like benzene and toluene, as well as sensing 1,3-butadiene and the development of methodologies for preparing synthetic cellulose derivatives.