Nelson honored by alma mater

Monday, March 12, 2012

Dr. Toby Nelson was honored recently by his alma mater.

Nelson honored as distinguished alum

Dr. Toby L. Nelson was honored as a distinguished alumnus recently at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. He received the Benjamin Wall Ingram III Young Alumnus Award, which recognizes distinguished alumni for their service to the university, their community and professional success.

Nelson graduated from FMU in 2001 with a BS degree in chemistry. He earned a Ph.D. in 2007 from the University of South Carolina, and was a postdoctoral research associate at Carnegie Mellon University from 2007 until 2011.

Nelson joined the OSU Chemistry Department last year. His area of specialization is the design and synthesis of novel conjugated oligomers and polymers. The focus of his research is organic electronics, supramolecular materials, and the discovery of new materials for sustainable energy. His work has been published in top peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of American Chemical Society and highlighted in Science and Chemical & Engineering News.

Nelson is the recipient of several awards, including the UNCF•Merck Postdoctoral Science Research Fellowship, IRIX Pharmaceuticals Award, E. I. Dupont Fellowship Award, Alfred P. Sloan Scholarship, Bouknight Teaching Award, SREB Dissertation Year Fellowship Award and Francis Marion University Chemistry Award.