Arkansas Research Alliance Scholars Join University of Arkansas Faculty

Photo credit: University of Arkansas

Morten Olgaard Jensen, Jie Xiao

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A scientist who specializes in energy storage and conversion and an engineer who focuses on experimental cardiovascular surgery are joining the University of Arkansas faculty as Arkansas Research Alliance Scholars.

Jie Xiao, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Morten Olgaard Jensen, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, were introduced Thursday in a news conference at the Arkansas Capitol. They are the sixth and seventh Arkansas Research Alliance Scholars since the program launched in 2010 to recruit research talent to the state.

Xiao and Jensen will each receive a $500,000 grant from the research alliance, paid over three years.

“Research is paramount to Arkansas’ future in the knowledge-driven economy of the 21st century,” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “As we strive to create opportunities for high-paying, technology-based jobs, partners like the Arkansas Research Alliance are critical and help our state concentrate our energy and resources on the most effective paths to further success and prosperity. These researchers are change agents who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our state.”

Xiao comes to the U of A from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where she was a senior scientist leading fundamental research and practical applications of energy materials and systems. Her specific research interest is the identification of new materials and novel technologies for energy storage and conversion.

She has received several honors, including an R&D 100 award and the Zapperd Award from the American Chemical Society.

Jensen’s research interests include medical device design and development, and cardiovascular fluid and tissue mechanics. He comes to the U of A from the Scandinavian School of Cardiovascular Technology in Denmark, where he was director of research.

He was appointed to the Danish Academy of Engineering and earlier this year he became the third engineer in Denmark since the 15th century to obtain the Doctor Medicinae degree for demonstrating significant clinical impact.

The University of Arkansas now has three Arkansas Research Alliance Scholars. Ranil Wickramasinghe, the Ross E. Martin Chair in Emerging Technologies in the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, was one of the state’s inaugural scholars in 2010.

In December, Alan Mantooth, Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and holder of a Twenty-First Century Research Leadership Chair in the College of Engineering, was introduced as an inaugural Arkansas Research Alliance Fellow. The fellows program recognizes distinguished university research leaders from each of the five research universities in Arkansas.

About the Arkansas Research Alliance: The Arkansas Research Alliance is governed by a board of trustees comprised of chancellors from Arkansas research universities and chief executive officers from across the state. Operating as a public-private partnership, the organization is committed to strengthening the economic competitiveness of Arkansas by maximizing university-based research and innovation in designated strategic focus areas.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.