PREMIER NANO FELLOWSHIPS AT THE SMALLEY INSTITUTE

J. Evans Attwell/Welch Fellowship Leads the Way in 1998

Rice University and the Robert A. Welch Foundation established this post-doctoral research fellowship in June 1998 in honor of J. Evans Attwell, to recognize Mr. Attwell's long-running and outstanding leadership with both Rice and the Welch Foundation. First awarded in 2002, the Evans Attwell fellowship has become known as one of the most prized appointments in the field of nanoscale research and technology for up-and-coming scientists and engineers. Evans Attwell fellows routinely become candidates for tenure-track faculty appointments at universities across the globe, having worked with the leading nano-faculty at Rice.

Peter M. and Ruth L. Nicholas Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Nanotechnology

Also established in 1998, and first awarded in 2004, the Peter and Ruth Nicholas Fellowship has supported the same high level of research as the Evans Attwell fund. For example, Matthew Blankschien, the 2010-2012 awardee, helped to discover light-activated enzymes that produce the benefits of high-temperature manufacturing without needing a high-temperature environment.

Carl and Lillian Illig Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Nanotechnology

The Carl and Lillian Illig Fellowship was established earlier - in 1997 - than the Attwell and Nicholas funds, but since the fellowship was not fully funded until late in 2012, the initial award will be made in the Fall of 2013. The Illig Fellowship will follow the same successful formula as the other Smalley Institute post-doctoral awards, funding top researchers and shaping nanotechnology leaders.

With the launch of the Illig Fellowship, the Smalley Institute will have from two to four post-doctoral fellows placed in Rice research groups at any given time.

For more information on the historic leadership of J. Evans Attwell, please click here.