Two students awarded DOE graduate student research fellowships

Two PhD students in chemistry from the University of Illinois Chicago are recipients of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research Award to conduct part of their thesis work for one year at a national laboratory.

Megan Murphy and Gabriel Parker are among 80 graduate students representing 27 states selected for supplemental funding and the opportunity to advance their overall doctoral research and training through access to the expertise and resources available at DOE national laboratories.

Murphy, who works in the lab of Jordi Cabana, UIC professor of chemistry, has research interests involving the synthesis and characterization of solid electrolyte materials. The fellowship will support her research at Argonne National Laboratory on X-ray synchrotron studies of energy storage systems.

Parker, who works with Luke Hanley, UIC professor of chemistry and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences distinguished professor, studies biofilm interactions on organic and inorganic material using laser-based mass spectrometry. His fellowship will be based at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he will work to develop new strategies for mass spectrometry bioimaging of plant-microbiome metabolomic response.

“For decades, DOE has cultivated the expertise to meet the nation’s greatest scientific challenges. Now more than ever, we need to invest in a diverse, talented pipeline of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs who will be the future science and innovation leaders of this country,” Under Secretary of Science and Innovation Geraldine Richmond said. “I’m thrilled these outstanding students will help us tackle critical research at our labs, and I know their futures are bright.”