Alexandra Navrotsky, thermochemistry of actinide materials
William Casey, actinides and actinide nanomaterials in solution
Mark Asta, computational simulations of the energetics of actinide materials
Peter C. Burns (Director), synthesis of actinide materials, nanomaterials, applications
Jeremy B. Fein, geochemistry of actinides, solubility of nanomaterials
Edward Maginn, computational chemistry of actinides, molecular dynamics simulations
Amy Hixon, synthesis of actinide materials, environmental transport of actinides
Joining our team as a graduate student
Graduate students become a part of MSA by starting their studies at one of our partner institutions, with one of our faculty as their advisor. There is no central admissions procedure or application process for MSA - admissions is handled exclusively by the partner universities and their respective departments. There is a small application fee which can be payable online with a credit card. Click here to make payment.
Being a graduate student in MSA is much more than you might expect. In addition to working towards your degree in some of the most advanced scientific labs in the world, being a MSA student provides the opportunity to be part of something big! We are building the foundation of scientific knowledge needed to address some of societies most pressing issues, because actinides are at the heart of nuclear energy, national security, weapons non-proliferation, the nuclear waste problem, and environmental contamination at former weapons sites in the U.S. and abroad.
MSA researchers are part of a team consisting of faculty, laboratory scientists, graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and undergraduates. Collaborations across the center are the key to our success, and all graduate students are encouraged to work with MSA members at our partner institutions. For example, students synthesize actinide materials at the University of Notre Dame, and take them to the University of California-Davis for calorimetric studies, and the University of Michigan to probe their response to extreme environments. Our students engaged in computations and theoretical work are closely aligned with graduate students conducting experiments, and co-authorship of scientific publications involving experimentalists and computationalists is common. We have many all-hands meetings and gather at selected scientific conferences to present results, which further fosters our collaborative center environment.
Fundamental to the mission of MSA is the training of graduate students in actinide materials science. Graduate students are immersed in all aspects of our research programs, at each of our partner universities. Also, our graduate students have opportunities to conduct research in the facilities of our national laboratory partners.
Graduate Student Opportunities in Materials Science of Actinides
Overview
Funded by the Office of Science
Basic Energy Sciences
U.S. Department of Energy
Materials Science of Actinides
Maik Lang, actinide materials under extreme pressures and irradiations at synchrotron facilities
Laura Gagliardi, quantum chemical simulations and theoretical approaches to actinide materials
Christopher Cahill, actinide-organic hybrid materials, synthesis and properties
Albert Migliori
To join us, identify a faculty member in the list below who's research efforts in the center most closely match your interests, and contact her/him directly for more information. You are also welcome to contact the Director, Peter C. Burns, who will be happy to put you in contact with prospective research advisors.
May Nyman, synthesis and properties of actinide nanomaterials
Tianbo Liu
Rodney C. Ewing, actinide materials under extreme environments, synchrotron studies
Wendy Mao, actinide materials in extreme pressure environments