David McCamant, assistant professor of chemistry, and T. Florian Jaeger, assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences, have been selected as 2011 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows. McCamant and Jaeger will each receive $50,000 over two years from the Sloan Foundation. They are among 118 scholars chosen for the honor this year.

McCamant's work focuses on the extraordinarily fast chemistry that can occur after molecules absorb light. His research involving the movement of electronic and vibrational energy through molecular systems may have important implications for solar energy conversion and nanoscale devices.

McCamant earned his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004 and came to the University of Rochester two years later.

Jaeger, who has a dual appointment in computer science, is the Wilmot Assistant Professor of Sciences. He is interested in how we use and understand language. Specifically, he studies whether people speak and listen in a manner that allows them to deliver and obtain information in the most efficient manner possible. Much of Jaeger's research is done by creating computational models of human speech and comprehension and then testing them against observed speech patterns.

Jaeger received his doctorate in linguistics from Stanford University in 2006. He joined the University of Rochester's faculty in 2007.

Sloan Fellowships are given to early-career scientists and scholars in recognition of achievement and potential to contribute substantially to their fields.

"The scientists and researchers selected for this year's Sloan Research Fellowships represent the very brightest rising stars of this generation of scholars," says Dr. Paul L. Joskow, President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. "The Foundation is proud to be able to support their work at this important stage in their careers."