CNSM Research Snapshots
Learn about our faculty research and keep up with the newest information on our laboratories.
New CNSM laboratories are featured monthly! If you would like your lab to be featured, please reach out to the CNSM Associate Dean for Research.
Dr. Julie Wahlman
March 2025 Snapshot
Dr. Julie Wahlman, assistant professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, heads the Wahlman lab, an organic chemistry research group that develops new chemical reactions using metal catalysts. They are specifically focused on improving and broadening the scope of one type of chemical reaction called cross-coupling. This reaction allows scientists to easily and reliably create complex molecules by stitching carbon atoms together. Traditionally, cross-coupling reactions rely on palladium as the metal catalyst, but the Wahlman Lab is exploring the use of earth-abundant metal catalysts like nickel, cobalt, and iron to make the process more efficient and capable of assembling complex structures.
Beyond developing new cross-coupling reactions, the Wahlman Lab is also applying their discoveries to prepare novel molecules. The team of research students recently synthesized licarin B, a naturally occurring compound found in nutmeg that has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. The students relied on their cross-coupling reaction to prepare licarin B, and are now designing new derivatives to see if they can enhance its medicinal effects.
Previous Snapshots
Here are the most recently featured snapshots.
Dr. Amy Ricketts
February 2025 Snapshot
Dr. Amy Ricketts's research aims to impact the ways that science is taught at the elementary school level. Her method uses sensemaking as a guide to aid children in creating a deeper understanding of what they are experiencing in class, as well as the world around them.
Dr. Claudia Ojeda-Aristizabal
January 2025 Snapshot
Dr. Claudia Ojeda-Aristizabal and her student researchers study how electrons travel through materials with exotic properties in her lab, the Nanoelectronics Group. Understanding how electrons respond to different materials has the potential to make major impacts on current and future technology, such as quantum computing and low-energy-consumption microdevices.
Dr. Antonio Martinez
December 2024 Snapshot
Dr. Martinez and his student researchers study the intersection of how mathematicians and computer scientists approach complex computational problems. One aim of this work is to identify effective cognitive strategies within each discipline, with the broader goal of interdisciplinary learning and enhanced quality of mathematics education.
Dr. Alyssa Abbey
November 2024 Snapshot
Research by students in Dr. Alyssa Abbey's laboratory focuses on understanding long-term changes in landscapes and what factors lead to those changes, from tectonic activity to climate change. By dating when faults start moving, how fast they move and how long they are active, Dr. Abbey and her students can examine how growing mountains change river routes and mammal migration patterns.
Dr. Darren Johnson
October 2024 Snapshot
Research students in the Johnson Lab study how changes in ocean temperature and pH alter patterns of natural selection and measure the genetic capacity for fish populations to evolve. The lab aims to better understand how climate change may threaten our fish populations, including understanding if fish larvae may become more tolerant of some climate change conditions.
Dr. Fangyuan Tian
September 2024 Snapshot
Research students in the Tian Laboratory focus materials on a chemical level. They work to understand the surface and interface chemistry of solid materials, with a goal of designing biocompatible coatings that can do a variety of things, including methane capture and drug delivery.
