Two researchers were named to the 2025 class of Professor Joe Greene Postdoctoral Fellows: Devashish Gokhale and Jongwon Lim. This is the second year for the fellowship.

Professor Joe Greene (Dr. J.E. Greene) was a distinguished faculty member in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a former director of The Materials Research Laboratory. Over a distinguished career that spanned more than 50 years, he made major contributions in multiple areas of crystal growth, thin-film physics, and surface science. He is also remembered with fondness as a friend, kind mentor, and valued colleague with wide-ranging interests. He was renowned for his enduring impact and dedication to fostering the careers of young scientists and emerging leaders in the fields of materials science engineering, basic science, and applied technology.

These prestigious fellowships, created in his memory and honor thanks to an endowment created by his wife of 55 years, Phyllis Greene, are designed to support outstanding early-career scientists and engineers specializing in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, and related fields. Gokhale and Lim will initially be appointed as full-time Postdoctoral Research Associates for one year, with the option of a second year.

More information on this fellowship, including how to apply, can be found here. 

Devashish Gokhale

During my PhD, I created novel materials to treat water, focusing on eliminating low-concentration contaminants like BPA and lead. As a Prof. Joe Greene Postdoctoral Fellow working with Prof. Xiao Su and Prashant Jain, I am developing solar-driven methods to clean water, extract critical resources, and synthesize and purify chemicals in an energy-efficient manner.

Prof. Joe Greene’s interdisciplinary work in materials science aligns well with my focus on advancing basic science and drawing ideas from disparate fields like thin films and surface chemistry to deliver real-world impact. Similarly, his focus on mentorship strongly resonates with me – over the years I have had the privilege to mentor almost a dozen students in scientific research, and look forward to continue to do so in the future.

Jongwon Lim

I am truly honored to receive the Joe Greene Postdoctoral Fellowship. This support enables me to further my research on rapid diagnostic technologies for bloodstream infections, addressing critical challenges posed by future pandemics and an aging population. Utilizing an innovative blood drying technique, my objective is to achieve sepsis diagnostics that are 100 times faster, cutting detection time from several days to under 30 minutes. This advancement holds the potential to revolutionize patient care, especially in resource-limited settings where swift diagnosis can be life-saving.