The Office of the Vice President for Research has selected longtime chemistry professor Ellen Fisher to serve on its leadership team.

Fisher was recently named the Senior Faculty Advisor for Research and will spend the next several months working with the research office.  She will continue to teach courses and conduct research.

“We are very excited to have Ellen join our office as part of an initiative to expand the voice of the faculty community in our planning and practice,” said Alan Rudolph, CSU’s vice president for research.

Before joining the Office of the Vice President for Research, Fisher served as chair of the chemistry department.

Fisher’s research

Her research crosses analytical, materials and physical chemistry and focuses on understanding the fundamental chemical processes that take place during plasma processing and chemical vapor deposition.

Through her work, Fisher has improved solar cell efficiency; developed new composite nanomaterials, porous media, and next generation biomaterials; and explored environmental applications for plasma chemistry.

Her research has significantly influenced the microelectronics community.

Fisher’s wide-ranging scholarship has also had a lasting impact on improving porous polymers for use in desalination and filtration applications; creating novel thin-film and nanostructured materials for use as protective coatings, solar cells, drug-delivery systems, and biocompatible materials; and innovative “green” chemistries that seek to reduce greenhouse gases in engine exhaust and organic contaminants in water.

She also has performed research in science education and the responsible conduct of research since joining CSU in 1993.

Her teaching interests span diverse topics in Chemistry as well as multidisciplinary Responsible Conduct of Research, and Women in Science seminars for the CSU Women’s Studies program.

She has also been involved in a university-wide ethics infusion program designed to help faculty incorporate ethics topics and concepts into their classrooms.

“I am truly excited to join the VPR staff and provide a faculty perspective on research administration,” Fisher said. “I look forward to working with Dr. Rudolph and other members of the OVPR to advance CSU’s research mission.”