Nicholas Garcia awarded a DoE Office of Science Graduate Research Award

Nicholas Garcia, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Prof. Connie Lu, has been awarded a Department of Energy SCGSR Award. This award includes the opportunity to travel to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to explore actinide chemistry in the laboratory of Dr. Jaqueline Kiplinger. At LANL, Nick will target heterobimetallic transition metal–actinide complexes, specifically with thorium, uranium, neptunium, and plutonium. Nick will explore new synthetic pathways to complexes featuring transition metal–actinide bonding and their potential applications in the activation of small molecules. The DOE research award will enable him to expand his thesis work in f-element chemistry and further develop fundamental knowledge on transition metal–actinide bonding.