Bio: Jan Talbot joined the UCSD faculty in 1986 after receiving her Ph.D. in chemical engineering and materials science that same year from the University of Minnesota. In 2001-02, she was president of the 8,000-member Electrochemical Society, and previously served as editor of the society's Interface publication. Talbot is the director of the Jacobs School's Chemical Engineering Program, which she was instrumental in developing. She has also served on the Department of Energy's Advanced Fuel-Cell Commercialization Working Group. From 1992-1998, Talbot was the Public Director of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. From 1975-81, she worked as a development engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (TN).

Research: Professor Talbot's research areas include electrophoretic deposition of phosphors in the processing of advanced materials, and chemical mechanical polishing. Talbot is particularly interested in materials and the deposition of phosphors for display applications such as flat-panel displays for computers and televisions. She also studies deposition of composite films. As director of the School's Chemical Engineering Program, Talbot coordinates with affiliated faculty from the mechanical and aerospace engineering, bioengineering, and chemistry departments. The curricula at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are designed to support and foster chemical engineering as a multidisciplinary profession that interfaces engineering and all aspects of basic sciences (physics, chemistry, and biology), and facilitates California’s critical biotech and high-tech based economy. Current research projects include particle deposition onto Tackydot® polymers (based on donated intellectual property from Dupont).