ALS UEC 2027-2029 term election

Candidates for the ALS Users’ Executive Committee for the 2027-2029 term (listed alphabetically)

Matt Gebbie

Bio:

Matthew Gebbie is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at UW-Madison. Prof. Gebbie’s research is at the intersection of soft matter, interface science, and electrochemistry with a focus on advanced characterization. His lab increasingly uses X-ray spectroscopy and scattering to study interfacial water structure and ion assembly.

Statement:

My lab has been using ALS to study electrochemical interfaces over the prior two years, and we plan to continue leveraging ALS resources moving forward. I am interested in joining to provide a perspective on starting new projects and leveraging ALS while located geographically remote from the LBL area.

Jennifer D. Lee

Bio:

Jennifer D. Lee is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at University of California, Merced. Her group at UC Merced focuses on developing a generalizable framework for heterogeneous catalyst design to solve important problems in energy usage and environmental chemistry.

Statement:

I would represent users in chemistry and materials science and engineering disciplines and advocate for aligning labs’ priorities with users’ interests, especially during the dark time by establishing collaborative efforts to support the continuation of research. I would also work to strengthen the representation of early-career users in the community.

Anika Tabussum Promi 

Bio:

Anika Tabassum Promi is a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Molecular Foundry. Her research lies at the intersection of inorganic materials synthesis, artificial intelligence, and synchrotron characterization, uncovering how synthesis conditions govern material formation . She brings five years of synchrotron user experience across ALS, NSLS-II, and APS, and holds a PhD in chemistry from Virginia Tech.

Statement:

Five years of synchrotron research have given me firsthand experience with users’ experimental needs and challenges. I will advocate for clear communication, practical support for research continuity during the ALS-U transition, and accessible training, while ensuring that student and early-career researchers have a voice in decisions affecting users.

Miller Shatsala

Bio:

Miller is a physicist whose ALS journey began through the LAAAMP visit then to the ALS Doctoral Fellowship. He contributed to beamline research, custom-spin coater redesigning and user support. He is a postdoc at UK Research Innovation, RESTART, champions international scientific capacity building, collaboration, and access to synchrotrons in unexplored regions.

Statement:

As an ALS user with experience across multiple beamlines, I bring a global perspective, practical understanding of user needs, and a strong commitment to inclusive scientific collaboration. I will advocate for accessible beamline resources, responsive user support, and innovative opportunities for emerging researchers during the ALS-U transition.

Lingjia Shen

Bio:

I am a Staff Scientist at Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), developing advanced X-ray scattering methodologies to probe fluctuations across distinct time and length scales in complex materials. My research focuses on quantum spin and orbital magnetism, particularly their correlations and coupling through lattice degrees of freedom.

Statement:

As a beamline scientist at LCLS, I have extensive experience working with users to transform cutting-edge instrumentation into new scientific opportunities. I hope to bring this experience to the ALS UEC, advocate for user needs, and promote emerging ALS-U capabilities, particularly resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and coherent X-ray scattering.

Jianyue Wang

 Bio:

I am an incoming Assistant Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University. As an ALS user since 2016, I use in situ X-ray spectroscopy (beamlines 9.3.2 and 11.0.2) to elucidate materials synthesis pathways. I also actively engage with the synchrotron community, having co-organized two SSRL Annual Users’ Meetings.

Statement:

On the UEC, I hope to help nonlocal and first-time users understand ALS capabilities and plan experiments through better support and closer collaboration with ALS staff. I also aim to promote existing and upgraded techniques through workshops and user meetings, making ALS-U capabilities more accessible to the broader research community.

Le Wang

Bio:

Le Wang is a Senior Materials Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a recipient of the 2025 DOE Early Career Research Program award. His research focuses on complex oxide thin films, interfaces, and energy materials, using synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy to understand their electronic structure and functional properties.

Statement:

As an active synchrotron user, I understand the importance of reliable beamline access, strong user support, and effective communication. I will advocate for the diverse needs of the ALS user community, promote opportunities for early-career researchers, and support a smooth ALS-U transition that enhances scientific capabilities and user experience.

Kejun Xu

Bio:
I am a postdoc with Bob Birgeneau at LBNL MSD working on X-ray and optical spectroscopy of quantum materials. I did my PhD at Stanford, where I worked on ARPES studies of cuprate superconductors at SSRL. I am a user of ARPES endstations at ALS beamlines 7 and 10, as well as RIXS instruments at beamline 8.

Statement:

My goal for the ALS-UEC is to increase visibility and opportunities for off-line experimental resources during the dark time. This includes various near-field and far-field optical instruments at ALS. Leveraging my experiences as a workshop organizer during the 2026 joint Bay Area Light Sources users’ meeting, I also hope to help ALS host the next users’ meeting.

Jian Zhang

Bio:

Jian Zhang is a staff scientist at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry, where he studies molecular assembly and porous materials. He coordinates Foundry user access to ALS beamline 12.2.1 and helps researchers use crystallography to understand their materials.

Statement:

I work with Foundry users who rely on the ALS for crystallography. I’d like to help make the ALS-U transition easier to navigate, offering clear updates, assistance finding other facilities when needed, and a way for users to raise concerns and get answers.