Dr. Davita Watkins

First-year assistant professor Davita Watkins has been awarded the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).  ORAU invests in the careers of junior faculty at member institutes by providing seed funding via this awards program.  This competitive research award annually recognizes faculty members of various disciplines in science and technology. Recipients, each of whom are in the first two years of a tenure track position, receive $5,000 from ORAU with an additional $5,000 institutional match.  Prof. Watkins was awarded the Powe Award to examine non-covalent interactions between organic semiconducting molecules to increase their efficiency in devices used as alternative forms of energy.