Dean Hesterberg is a Research Scientist and Soil Science Advisor at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas Brazil. He is also a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Soil Chemistry in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at NC State University, where he taught and conducted research for 28 years. Dr. Hesterberg earned a B.S. degree in Plant and Soil Science from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale (1981), an M.S. degree in Agronomy from Purdue University (1984), and a Ph.D. degree in Soil and Environmental Sciences from the University of California – Riverside (1988). Before joining NC State University in 1993, he worked for Chevron Oil Field Research Company between 1988 and 1990, and for the Institute for Soil Fertility Research in the Netherlands between 1990 and 1992. His current research focuses on developing and applying synchrotron imaging and spectroscopy techniques to study biogeochemical processes affecting phosphorus and trace elements in soils and at soil-root (rhizosphere) interfaces.
Invited Speakers
Dean Hesterberg
Raul Freitas
Staff scientist at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) since 2012, Raul O. Freitas is mainly involved in the fields of Synchrotron Infrared Nanospectroscopy (SINS), near-field optics and interferometry, IR beamlines optical design and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). In charge of the construction and operation of the LNLS IR1 beamline (UVX accelerator) and the new IMBUIA beamline in the Sirius accelerator, the researcher is interested in studies related to nanoscale vibrational properties of materials in general. Prior to enter the infrared nanospectroscopy area, he worked in the field of synchrotron X-ray diffraction applied to the study of nanostructured optoelectronic materials, which was the subject of his PhD jointly achieved at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and at University of Guelph (UoG/Canada) and lately the subject of his Post-Doc in a collaborative project between LNLS and Hewlett Packard Labs (USA). Still as a Post-Doc, worked briefly as a visitor research in the SSL-ESRF (France). Is an active reviewer of important scientific journals and is currently the chair of the peer-review committee of the Canadian Light Source. Before the academic life, the researcher worked for almost 10 years as a designer in the engineering department of an international company related to the fuels distribution business.
Thomas Sheppard
Senior Scientist at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Karlsruhe, Germany), leading the junior
research group “X-ray Microscopy in Catalysis” with 4 PhD candidates. PhD in Chemistry (2014) and
Master’s studies in Chemistry both at Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland), before joining
KIT as postdoc in 2014 in the group of Prof. Jan-Dierk Grunwaldt, Institute for Chemical Technology
and Polymer Chemistry. More than 7 years experience and 70 beamtimes at synchrotron radiation
sources worldwide. Research focus includes applying hard X-ray microscopy and tomography for
chemical imaging of catalysts and functional materials. Particular focus on in situ/operando
experiments, both development of experimental infrastructure and commissioning of setups at
various X-ray micro/nanoprobe beamlines. Active collaboration with various scientific groups from
DESY (Hamburg, Germany), PSI (Villigen, Switzerland) and MAX IV (Lund, Sweden) regarding
development and application of emerging hard X-ray technologies for catalysis research. Reactions
and processes of interest include sustainable conversion/storage of chemical energy, emissions
control catalysis, and selective oxidation catalysis.
Maria Harkiolaki
Maria is the Principle Beamline Scientist for the correlative cryo-imaging beamline B24 at the UK synchrotron Diamond light Source. She leads the development of correlative bioimaging methods involving soft X-ray tomography and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy as well as other Xray and electron imaging platforms. Previously she was a group leader at the Structural Biology Laboratory at the Nuffield Department of Medicine of the University of Oxford, UK. Maria undertook her graduate studies at YSBL, University of York UK, and was awarded her PhD in 2002.