Benjamin Gilbert

Benjamin Gilbert is an Adjunct Associate Professor and Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), with a career dedicated to advancing nanogeoscience and synchrotron x-ray methodologies. He obtained his B.A. in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University in 1994 and a Ph.D. from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in 2000, supported by research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Synchrotron Radiation Center.

His research focuses on the properties and geochemical interactions of natural nanoscale minerals, utilizing synchrotron x-ray experiments and analysis methods. Key accomplishments include discoveries in iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticle clusters, structural transformations in ZnS nanoparticles, nanoscale silicate inclusions in zircons, and x-ray spectroscopic studies of manganese oxides. Recently, he has pioneered ultrafast x-ray techniques to study electron transfer in ferric iron oxide nanoparticles with sub-nanosecond resolution.

He joined LBNL in 2004 and co-founded the Berkeley Nanogeoscience Center with Jill Banfield and Glenn Waychunas. In 2007, he became a career scientist at LBNL. His interdisciplinary collaborations span over 50 peer-reviewed publications, emphasizing the intersection of geoscience, materials science, and advanced x-ray physics.

• Scientific Awards:
  • SRC Aladdin Lamp Award
• Labs & Teams:
  • Co-founder, Berkeley Nanogeoscience Center