Newswise — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory will host eight graduate (Ph.D.) students who have received awards through the DOE’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program

Through the SCGSR program, outstanding Ph.D. students — 60 for this cycle — receive supplementary awards to conduct thesis research and doctoral dissertations at national labs across the country. Over three to 12 months, students collaborate with scientists and researchers for mentorship while also gaining firsthand experience for careers in diverse science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. 

“Graduate students are the lifeblood of any research institute, infusing it with the energy, dedication, and innovative thinking that propels science forward.”  — Kawtar Hafidi, Argonne’s Associate Laboratory Director for PSE

“We support a number of DOE-sponsored education programs, and we’re excited to partner once again with the Office of Science for SCGSR,” said Meridith Bruozas, Argonne’s Institutional Partnerships director. ​“Argonne is excited to welcome these students into our scientific community and support their research interests.”  

The SCGSR students will conduct research within Argonne’s Physical Sciences and Engineering (PSE); Computing, Environment, and Life Sciences (CELS); and Photon Sciences (PSC) directorates. 

“Graduate students are the lifeblood of any research institute, infusing it with the energy, dedication, and innovative thinking that propels science forward,” said Kawtar Hafidi, Argonne’s Associate Laboratory Director for PSE. ​“They are not just the future of science; they are the driving force shaping its present.” 

Listed below are the eight Ph.D. students, their research focus and Argonne mentors: 

  • Nicholas Dewey, University of Georgia: Gas Phase Chemical Physics. Mentor: Stephen Klippenstein, Chemical Sciences and Engineering division. 

  • Isaac Dyer, Northwestern University: Fundamental Electrochemistry for Chemical and Materials Sciences. Mentor: Justin Connell, Materials Science division. 

  • Dylan Gilley, Purdue University: Data and Computational Sciences for Materials and Chemical Sciences, Mentor: Jie Xu, Nanoscience and Technology division. 

  • Tyler Horoho, University of Virginia: Experimental Research in High Energy Physics. Mentor: Yuri Oksuzian, High Energy Physics division. 

  • Spencer Kelham, Northern Illinois University: Accelerator Technology Development. Mentor: Yawei Yang, Accelerator Systems Division.  

  • Karen Li, University of Washington: Basic Science for Advanced Manufacturing. Mentor: Jie Xu, Nanoscience and Technology division. 

  • Karen Medlin, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Applied Mathematics. Mentor: Krishnan Raghavan, Mathematics and Computer Science division. 

  • Cooper Yerby, University of Pennsylvania: Basic Science for Advanced Manufacturing.  Mentor: Seth Darling, Advanced Energy Technologies directorate. 

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://​ener​gy​.gov/​s​c​ience.