MSI PI Laura Gagliardi (Chemistry) is part of a new National Nuclear Security Administration Actinide Center of Excellence. The Center, which is led by the University of Notre Dame and includes scientists from several universities including the University of Minnesota, will conduct research supporting nuclear weapons security and operations.
Professor Gagliardi is an expert in actinide chemistry. She uses MSI resources for a number of projects that develop novel quantum chemical methods and apply them to studies of phenomena related to sustainable energies, with special focus on chemical systems relevant to catalysis, spectroscopy, photochemistry, and gas separation. Her work was featured on the MSI website in October 2016: A New Method for Creating a Catalyst on a Metal-Organic Framework.
An article about the new Center appears on the College of Science and Engineering website: University of Minnesota Part of New $12.5 Million Center Focused on Nuclear Chemistry.