Selim’s research agenda, productivity recognized

Since joining the Bowling Green State University faculty in 2013, Dr. Farida Selim, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has established an outstanding reputation for her research on developing new materials for the next generation of semiconductor and energy-conversion devices.

BGSU recognized her accomplishments with the Outstanding Early Career Award at the Faculty Excellence Awards on April 16.

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research selects the recipient of the award, which is designed to enhance the academic career of junior faculty by providing discretionary funds for the support of future scholarly activities. The recipient receives a $1,000 credit to their discretionary research account and a $2,000 cash award.

Before arriving at BGSU, Selim worked as a research assistant professor of physics at Washington State University. As a new faculty member in physics, she has focused on fundamental and applied research related to developing renewable and efficient energy resources and novel devices. Her constant goal is to discover innovative physics phenomena and develop material systems and devices that will contribute to solving the energy crisis, advancing technology, enhancing the Ohio economy and benefiting the nation.

“One of the strengths of Dr. Selim’s research program is her application of a wide range of experimental techniques to characterize the properties of materials,” said Dr. John Laird, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “She has built a unique, state-of-the-art laboratory with integrated capabilities, combining the ability to synthesize new materials with the distinctive advantages of different analysis techniques to study structural, optical and electrical characteristics.”

Despite her lab facilities being under construction during her first two years, Selim has published seven or eight refereed publications per year. In addition to a book and a book chapter, she has given six invited talks at professional conferences. Her “Luminescence Based Spectrometer” was issued a patent in 2016, and she has applied for another patent for her “Methods and Devices for Assessing Luminescent Semiconductors.”

Laird cited Selim’s impressive external funding as an indicator of her research success. Her funding includes $1.2 million primarily from the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Energy; about $423,000 in indirect funding by the German HZDR research laboratory; a research contract with Nestlé for $25,000, and five additional pending grant proposals totaling $1.3 million.

Selim has established an international reputation as an expert in the characterization of defects in wide-band-gap semiconductor materials. She has served on four international advisory boards in the fields of positron chemistry, physics and luminescent phosphors. In addition, she plays a lead role in the creation of a low-energy positron facility at Jefferson Laboratory in Newport News, Virginia; serves on two editorial boards; and will host the International Workshop on ZnO and Oxide Semiconductors in 2020.

Laird said that Selim has been on the forefront of creating experimental strategies, which include developing a technique for positron annihilation spectroscopy and a new type of luminesce spectroscopy using her own, custom-built X-ray spectrometer.

In regard to the Materials Science Facility at BGSU, Selim said, “During the last four years, we have installed the foundations for this facility, which includes a nano-synthesis unit, thin-film technology capabilities and a large number of state-of-the-art characterization techniques.”

In the future, Selim intends to fully develop the lab to be one of the top materials science facilities in Ohio and to attract significant external funding through the existence of the facility. This will be accomplished by the invention of new techniques and instrumentation with unique capabilities for nanomaterial and Nano-device investigation.

Previously, Selim has been selected for the BGSU Elliott Blinn Award for Faculty-Undergraduate Research in 2016, a BGSU Faculty Advancement Award in 2018, a Summer Faculty Fellowship Award from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2018 and three Air Force Research Lab Summer Faculty Fellowship Awards.

“She has made a significant impact on the field and raised the profile of the department, the Center for Pure and Applied Photosciences and BGSU overall,” Laird said. “The capabilities of her lab have continued to grow over the past several years, and she has continued to develop new national and international collaborations. All indicators agree that Dr. Selim will continue on a similar upward research path into the future.”