INDUSTRY

Laetitia Delmau of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been named by Technology Review magazine as one of the world's top young innovators. Delmau joins the "TR100" group of 100 selected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's science publication. Delmau, a researcher in ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division, specializes in studies of the physical properties of ligands and separation science with an emphasis on thermodynamics, radiochemistry and physical chemistry. "Laetitia's selection by Technology Review is a timely recognition of her remarkable record of scientific achievement and, coming at this early point in her career, also signifies her tremendous potential in the field of chemical sciences," ORNL Director Jeff Wadsworth said. Her work has centered on technologies for the treatment of nuclear wastes in Europe, Japan and the United States. Delmau, the first author on two patents in France resulting from her work with the French Atomic Energy Commission, came to the United States first as a student in 1992 at ORNL, where she continued her work with nuclear waste treatment technologies during one fall and two summer terms. Delmau joined ORNL's research staff in 2000 following a postdoctoral research appointment. She was instrumental in the development of a selected process for removing radioactive cesium from nuclear waste material. She has more than 40 open-literature publications, including 15 journal articles and a book chapter. Overall, she has three patents. This year's TR 100 group was selected from a field of nearly 650 candidates under the age of 35. Delmau and other TR 100 winners will join top innovators and peers from a variety of backgrounds, disciplines and institutions at the Emerging Technologies conference Sept. 29-30 at MIT in Cambridge. A native of Marseilles, France, Delmau received her engineering degree from the Ecole Nationale Superiuere de Physique et Chimie de Paris, France, and master's degree in radiochemistry from the University of Paris VI. She received her doctorate in physical chemistry from the University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg, France. Delmau, who resides in Oak Ridge, counts playing the clarinet, target shooting, kayaking and scuba diving among her outside interests.