Martin Schoonen
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Associate Laboratory Director
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About
Martin Schoonen oversees programs in biology, environmental science, climate science, national security, nuclear nonproliferation, and nuclear science and technology at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Schoonen joined Brookhaven Lab in 2014 after 25 years as a faculty member at Stony Brook University (SBU). He is an interdisciplinary scientist who served in several administrative positions at SBU, including Associate Vice President for Research, developing large-scale, multidisciplinary proposals and leading multidisciplinary research programs. He played a key role in the development of the proposal leading to the establishment of the Center for Environmental Molecular Science at SBU and Brookhaven Lab.
Education
Schoonen earned a Ph.D. in geochemistry and mineralogy from Pennsylvania State University in 1989, a Doctoral (equivalent to M.S.) from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, in 1984 with a double major in geochemistry as well as physical and colloid chemistry, and Kandidaats (equivalent to B.S.) in Geochemistry, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, January 1981.
Research Currently in Progress
Schoonen's research interests include environmental molecular chemistry, geocatalysis, medical geology, and astrobiology. An expert in synthesis, surface chemistry, and geochemistry of metal sulfides, his applied research efforts have included geologic sequestration of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide (CO2), development of mineral-based photocatalysts, and development of acid mine drainage abatement technology. His current research projects focus on the role of iron minerals in subsurface CO2 sequestration, the use of metal sulfides as catalysts to degrade organic pollutants, and the role of mineral dust in the onset of lung ailments in US servicemen and women stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.