Valentino R Cooper
Distinguished R&D Staff Member and Section Head, Materials Theory, Modeling and Simulation
Bio
Dr. Valentino R. Cooper is a Distinguished R. & D. Staff Member and Section Head for Materials Theory, Modeling and Simulation in the Materials Sciences and Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is the Director of the Department of Energy funded Energy Frontier Research Center on Fast and Cooperative Ion Transport in Polymer Electrolytes (FaCT). He received his Ph. D from the Chemistry Department at the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. Prior to joining ORNL in 2008, he was a post-doctoral associate in the Physics Department of Rutgers University. From 2017 to 2020 he was an Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Physics. His research focuses on electronic structure methods for understanding dispersion interactions and in the prediction of functional materials including piezoelectrics and ferroelectrics. Dr. Cooper is a 2013 recipient of the Department of Energy Early Career award.
Professional Experience
- Aug. 2022 - present: Director, Energy Frontier Research Center, Fast and Cooperative Ion Transport in Polymer Electrolytes (FaCT)
- Oct. 2020 - present: Section Head, Materials Theory, Modeling and Simulation, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Oct. 2020 - present: Distinguished R. & D. Staff Member, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Feb. 2017 - Dec. 2020: Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Physics, American Institute of Physics
- Jan. 2019 - Sept. 2020: Group Leader, Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Jun 2019 - Sept. 2020: Acting Group Leader, Multiscale Theory Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Jan. 2017 - Sept. 2020: Senior R. & D. Staff Member, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- May 2017 - Dec. 2018: Team Lead for Theory Integration and Development, Materials Theory Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Jan. 2012 - Jan. 2017: R. & D. Staff Member, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Sept. 2008 - Jan. 2012: R. & D. Associate, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Awards
DOE Early Career Award (2013)
European Physics Letters Best of 2011: Euro. Phys. Lett. 94, 37006 (2011)
IBM/ACS Graduate Student Award in Computational Chemistry - "The effects of oxygen vacancies on the hydration of alumina" (2002)
Education
- Post-doctoral Associate: Rutgers University (2005-2008)
- Ph. D.: University of Pennsylvania (2005)
- B.A.: Vassar College (2000) Cum laude en materias