Biography

Dr. Stolbov received his Ph.D. in Physics from Rostov State University, Russia, in 1982. He worked as a Senior Researcher at Institute of Physics in Rostov State University, Russia, 1983 – 1998. He spent one year as a Research Associate in Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston before joining Carnegie Institution of Washington as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 1999. He joined Kansas State University as a Research Associate in 2000 and a Research Assistant Professor in 2004. He joined UCF in 2006 where he is an Associate Professor.

Research Areas

My research focuses on revealing microscopic phenomena responsible for technologically important properties of materials using quantum-mechanical computational techniques and utilizing this knowledge for rational design of advanced materials. During my tenure track term I have developed two research programs. One is “Computational design of efficient electrocatalysis for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on cathodes of hydrogen fuel cells”. Within this project, a radically new approach for computational rational design of the catalysts has been developed and several new potentially efficient and cost-effective catalysts have been predicted. These results have been widely featured in dozens of science and technology news web-portals, such as www.hydrogenfuelnews.com, www.sciencedaily.com, www.theengineer.co.uk. For further application of this approach, I have been awarded with the Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) by NSF. During this term, I was also exploring the selenium-modified ruthenium (Se/Ru) structures known as alternative ORR catalysts, and revealed the key factors controlling their catalytic properties.

My second research program “Exploring new generation of photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water under solar irradiation” is also related to the clean energy problem. Efficiency of the photocatalysts is determined by synergistic effect of multiple macroscopic properties of the materials. I am developing a computational framework for systematic studies of these properties and applying it to understand mechanisms underlying this complex phenomenon and predict new efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water.

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