Credentials
Education
- 2006-2010, B.Sc. with Honours in Chemistry, University of Ottawa
- 2010-2015, Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, University of Ottawa
Professional Appointments
-
2015-2018, Spedding Fellow, Ames National Laboratory
- 2016-2018 Banting Fellow, Ames National Laboratory
- 2018-2020, Associate Scientist, Ames Laboratory
- 2020-2021, Scientist II, Ames National Laboratory
- 2021-present, Group Leader, Ames National Laboratory
- 2021-present, Scientist III, Ames National Laboratory
- 2023-present, Associate Adjunct Professor, Iowa State University
Honors & Awards
- Plaque of the Society of Chemical Industry (May 2010)
- Plaque of the Department of Chemistry (May 2010)
- Spedding Fellowship (February 2015)
- IUPAC-SOLVAY International Award for Young Chemists (April 2015)
- Governor General's Gold Medal for Sciences and Engineering (October 2015)
- Raymond Andrew Prize (July 2016)
- Banting Fellowship (October 2016)
- Attended the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting (June 2017)
- DOE Early Career Award (2020)
- Caldarelli Prize (2023)
- Emerging Investigator Designation in J. Phys Chem. (2023), Chem. Commun. (2024), and the J. Magn. Reson. (2024).
Areas of Expertise
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
- Dynamic Nuclear Polarization
- Spin Dynamics
- Heterogeneous Catalysis
- Science of Interfaces
- Polymer Upcycling
Research
Research Projects
Research Interests
- My research interests are centered on the development of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), including magic-angle-spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS-DNP) as tools for the characterization of atomic-scale structure and dynamics. I am particularly interested in the application of those tools for the characterization of surfaces and interfaces, including heterogeneous catalysts, and the interactions that molecules form at these interfaces.
Patents
- Pore-Encapsulated Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenolysis of Plastic Waste (US patent 11857951)
- Selective Terminal CH Alumination of Saturated Hydrocarbons (US patent 20230219870)
Publications
A Broad-Spectrum Catalyst for Aliphatic Polymer Breakdown
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2025
Well-defined Pt(0) heterogeneous hydrosilylation catalysts supported by a surface bound phosphenium
Dalton Trans.,
2025
Perspectives on the Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Mechanisms of Monoradicals: Overhauser Effect or Thermal Mixing?
J. Phys. Chem. Lett.,
2025
Preferred Orientation of a Physisorbed Molecular Catalyst and Implications for Selectivity
ACS Phys. Chem. Au,
2025
Highly Sensitive Measurements of Methylene Dynamics With a Frequency-Selective Double-Quantum Sideband Method
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2025
Removal of Homogeneous Broadening from 1H-Detected Multidimensional Solid-State NMR Spectra
Anal. Chem,
2025
Hydrogen Isotope Labeling of Pharmaceuticals Via Dual Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Pathways Using CdS Quantum Dot Photocatalyst
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2024
Selective 17O-Labeling of Silica
Chem. Commun.,
2024
Size Matters: Altering the Metal-Surface Coordination in Micropores via Structural Confinement Effects
Inorg. Chem. Frontiers,
2024
Observing the Surface Termination of LaScO3 Perovskite Using Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2024
Comparison of methods for the NMR measurement of motionally averaged dipolar couplings
J. Magn. Reson.,
2024
Elimination of homogeneous broadening in 1H solid-state NMR
Chem. Commun.,
2024
Silicon Nitride Surface Enabled Propane Dehydrogenation Catalyzed by Supported Organozirconium
J. Am. Chem. Soc,
2024
Enhanced Activity from Coordinatively Unsaturated and Dynamic Zeolite-Bound Organoscandium Species
ACS Catal.,
2024
Automatic fitting of multiple-field solid-state NMR spectra
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2024
Mechanical Milling - induced Microstructure Changes in Argyrodite LPSCl Solid-State Electrolyte Critically Affect Electrochemical Stability
Adv. Energy Mater.,
2024
Probing Interactions between Adsorbed Polymers and γ‑Al2O3 Using Solid-State NMR
J. Phys. Chem. C,
2024
On the Use of NMR Distance Measurements for Assessing Surface Site Homogeneity
Dalton Trans.,
2023
Are the Brønsted acid sites in amorphous silica-alumina bridging?
Chem. Commun.,
2023
Make Selenium Reactive Again: Activating Elemental Selenium for Synthesis of Metal Selenides Ranging from Nanocrystals to Large Single Crystals
J. Am. Chem. Soc,
2023
Supported Electrophilic Organoruthenium Catalyst for the Hydrosilylation of Olefins
ACS Catal.,
2023
Addition to: "The Structure of Boron Monoxide"
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2023
The Structure of Boron Monoxide
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2023
Surfactants Used in Colloidal Synthesis Modulate Ni Nanoparticle Surface Evolution for Selective CO2 Hydrogenation
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2023
Mechanistic Insights into Processive Polyethylene Hydrogenolysis through In Situ NMR
Macromolecules,
2023
Deuterated TEKPol Biradicals and the Spin-Diffusion Barrier in MAS DNP
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.,
2023
Nanocluster superstructures assembled via surface ligand switching at high temperature
Nature Synthesis,
2023
Mechanistic origins of methyl-driven Overhauser DNP
J. Chem. Phys.,
2023
Multiplex Detection of Multiple-Quantum/Single-Quantum NMR Correlation Spectra
J. Phys. Chem C,
2023
Silica Supported Organometallic IrI Complexes Enable Efficient Catalytic Methane Borylation
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2023
Double-Resonance 17O NMR Experiments Reveal Unique Configurational Information for Surface Organometallic Complexes
Chem. Commun.,
2023
Ultrasmall amorphous zirconia nanoparticles catalyse polyolefin hydrogenolysis
Nature Catalysis,
2023
Zirconium-Catalyzed C–H Alumination of Polyolefins, Paraffins, and Methane
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2023
Polyethylene in Dead-End Silica Nanopores: Forces and Mobility from Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics and Exchange Spectroscopy Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
J. Phys. Chem C,
2023
Synthesis of Platinum Nanoparticles on Strontium Titanate Nanocuboids via Surface Organometallic Grafting for the Catalytic Hydrogenolysis of Plastic Waste
J. Mater. Chem. A,
2023
Spatial Arrangement of Dynamic Surface Species from Solid-State NMR and Machine Learning-Accelerated MD Simulations
Chem. Commun.,
2022
1H Chemical Shift Anisotropy: A High Sensitivity Solid-State NMR Dynamics Probe for Surface Studies?
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.,
2022
INTERFACES. A Program for Determining the 3D Structures of Surfaces Sites Using NMR Data
J. Magn. Reson. Open,
2022
t1-noise elimination by continuous chemical shift anisotropy refocusing
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2022
Evolution of structure and transport properties of the Ba8Cu16P30 clathrate-I framework with the introduction of Ga
App. Phys. Lett,
2022
Methyl-Driven Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization
J. Phys. Chem. Lett.,
2022
Hybrid quantum-classical simulations of magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization in very large spin systems
J. Chem. Phys,
2022
A Heterogeneous Palladium Catalyst for the Polymerization of Olefins Prepared by Halide Abstraction Using Surface R3Si+ Species
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.,
2022
Determining the Three-Dimensional Structures of Silica-Supported Metal Complexes from the Ground Up
Inorg. Chem.,
2022
Multifunctional Separator Allows Stable Cycling of Potassium Metal Anodes and of Potassium Metal Batteries
Adv. Mater.,
2022
Synthesis-enabled exploration of chiral and polar multivalent quaternary sulfides
Chem. Sci.,
2021
Third time's the charm: intricate non-centrosymmetric polymorphism in LnSiP3 (Ln = La and Ce) induced by distortions of phosphorus square layers
Dalton Trans,
2021
High Field Solid-State NMR of Challenging Nuclei in Inorganic Systems
Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry 3,
2021
Determination of the chemical shift tensor anisotropy and asymmetry of strongly dipolar coupled protons under fast MAS
J. Magn. Reson.,
2021
Revealing the Configuration and Conformation of Surface Organometallic Catalysts with DNP-Enhanced NMR
J. Phys. Chem. C,
2021
Proton-Detected Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy of Spin-1/2 Nuclei with Large Chemical Shift Anisotropy
J. Magn. Reson.,
2021
Catalytic carbon–carbon bond cleavage and carbon-element bond formation give new life for polyolefins as biodegradable surfactants
Chem,
2021
Efficiency Analysis of Helium-cooled MAS DNP: Case Studies of Surface-Modified Nanoparticles and Homogeneous Small-Molecule Solutions
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.,
2021
Direct determination of cellulosic glucan content in starch-containing samples
Cellulose,
2021
Phase-sensitive γ-encoded recoupling of heteronuclear dipolar interactions and 1H chemical shift anisotropy
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2021
Observing the Three-Dimensional Dynamics of Supported Metal Complexes
Inorg. Chem. Frontiers,
2021
Catalytic upcycling of high-density polyethylene via a processive mechanism
Nature Catal.,
2020
Dynamic Nuclear Polarization of Metal-Doped Oxide Glasses: A Test of the Generality of Paramagnetic Metal Polarizing Agents
J. Phys. Chem. C,
2020
t1-Noise Eliminated Dipolar Heteronuclear Multiple-Quantum Coherence Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys,
2020
Combining fast magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization with indirect detection to further enhance the sensitivity of solid-state NMR spectroscopy
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2020
Two-step conversion of Kraft lignin to nylon precursors under mild conditions
Green Chem.,
2020
Full-Scale Ab Initio Simulation of Magic-Angle-Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization
J. Phys. Chem. Lett.,
2020
The Surface Termination of CsPbBr3 Perovskite Quantum Dots Determined by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2020
Activation of Low-Valent, Multiply M–M Bonded Group VI Dimers toward Catalytic Olefin Metathesis via Surface Organometallic Chemistry
Organometallics,
2020
Site-Specific Sodiation Mechanisms of Selenium in Microporous Carbon Host
Nano Lett.,
2020
Condensed Phase Deactivation of Solid Brønsted Acids in the Dehydration of Fructose to Hydroxymethylfurfural
ACS Catal.,
2019
Upcycling Single-Use Polyethylene into High-Quality Liquid Products
ACS Cent. Sci.,
2019
Shedding Light on the Atomic-Scale Structure of Amorphous Silica-Alumina and its Brønsted Acid Sites
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.,
2019
High-Field MAS Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Using Radicals Created by γ-Irradiation
J. Phys. Chem. Lett.,
2019
Linear-Scaling Ab Initio Simulations of Spin Diffusion in Rotating Solids
J. Chem. Phys.,
2019
Electrophilic Organoiridium(III) Pincer Complexes on Sulfated Zirconia for Hydrocarbon Activation and Functionalization
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2019
Enhanced 1H-X D-HMQC performance through improved 1H homonuclear decoupling
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson,
2019
Reducing t1 Noise Through Rapid Scanning
J. Magn. Reson.,
2019
The anomalous solidification of concrete grindings from a citric acid treatment
Cem. Concr. Res.,
2019
Large-scale ab initio simulations of MAS DNP enhancements using a Monte Carlo optimization strategy
J. Chem. Phys,
2018
Growing Signals from the Noise: Challenging Nuclei in Materials DNP
eMagRes,
2018
Surface Organometallic Chemistry of Supported Iridium(III) as a Probe for Organotransition Metal–Support Interactions in C–H Activation
ACS Catal.,
2018
Evidence for Redox Mechanisms in Organometallic Chemisorption and Reactivity on Sulfated Metal Oxides
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2018
Direct 17O Dynamic Nuclear Polarization of Single-Site Heterogeneous Catalysts
Chem. Commun.,
2018
Chemoselective Hydrogenation with Supported Organoplatinum(IV) Catalyst on Zn(II)-Modified Silica
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2018
Synthesis of Supported Pd0 Nanoparticles from a Single-Site Pd2+ Surface Complex by Alkene Reduction
Chem. Mater.,
2018
Optimal Sample Formulations for DNP SENS: The Importance of Radical-Surface Interactions
Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sci.,
2018
Improved Strategies for DNP-Enhanced 2D 1H-X Heteronuclear Correlation Spectroscopy of Surfaces
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2017
In Silico Design of DNP Polarizing Agents: Can Current Dinitroxides be Improved?
ChemPhysChem,
2017
Observation of CH⋅⋅⋅π Interactions between Methyl and Carbonyl Groups in Proteins
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.,
2017
Natural Abundance 17O DNP NMR Provides Precise O-H Distances and Insights into the Brønsted Acidity of Heterogeneous Catalysts
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.,
2017
DNP-Enhanced Ultrawideline 207Pb Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy: An Application to Cultural Heritage Science
Dalton Trans.,
2017
Characterizing Substrate-Surface Interactions on Alumina-Supported Metal Catalysts by DNP-Enhanced Double-Resonance NMR Spectroscopy
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2017
Indirect Detection of Infinite-Speed MAS Solid-State NMR Spectra
J. Magn. Reson.,
2017
Atomic Level Structure Characterization of Biomass Pre and Post Lignin Treatment by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization-Enhanced Solid State NMR
J. Phys. Chem. A,
2017
DNP-Enhanced Ultrawideline Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy: Studies of Platinum in Metal-Organic Frameworks
J. Phys. Chem. Lett.,
2016
Probing Surface Hydrogen Bonding and Dynamics by Natural Abundance, Multidimensional, 17O DNP-NMR Spectroscopy
J. Phys. Chem. C,
2016
Sterically-Driven Olefin Metathesis: The Impact of Alkylidene Substitution on Catalyst Activity
Organometallics,
2016
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of DNP Enhancements in a Rotor Spinning at the Magic Angle
J. Magn. Reson.,
2016
Identifying Low-Coverage Surface Species on Noble Metal Nanoparticles by DNP-NMR
Chem. Commun.,
2016
Effects of Biradical Deuteration on the Performance of DNP: Towards Better Performing Polarizing Agents
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.,
2016
Quantitative Structure Parameters from the NMR Spectroscopy of Quadrupolar Nuclei
Pure Appl. Chem.,
2016
Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Solid-State NMR in Heterogeneous Catalysis Research
ACS Catal.,
2015
Structure and Solubility Behaviour of Zinc Containing Phosphate Glasses
J. Mater. Chem.,
2015
PRESTO Polarization Transfer to Quadrupolar Nuclei: Implications for Dynamic Nuclear Polarization
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.,
2015
Natural Abundance 17O DNP Two-Dimensional and Surface-Enhanced NMR Spectroscopy
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2015
Spying of the Boron-Boron Triple Bond Using Spin-Spin Coupling Measured from 11B Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy
Chem. Sci.,
2015
Solid-State 185/187Re NMR and GIPAW DFT Study of Perrhenates and Re2(CO)10: Chemical Shift Anisotropy, NMR Crystallography, and a Metal-Metal Bond
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.,
2015
Zero Thermal Expansion in ZrMgMo3O12: NMR Crystallography Reveals Origins of Thermoelastic Properties
Chem. Mater.,
2015
Revisiting the Concepts of Equivalence in Solid-State NMR
eMagRes,
2015
High Sensitivity and Resolution in 43Ca Solid-State NMR Experiments
Can. J. Chem.,
2015
Direct Characterization of Metal-Metal Bonds Between Nuclei with Strong Quadrupolar Interactions via NMR Spectroscopy
J. Phys. Chem. Lett.,
2014
Boron-Boron J Coupling Constants are Unique Probes of Electronic Structure: A Solid-State NMR and Molecular Orbital Study
Chem. Sci.,
2014
Theoretical Study of Homonuclear J coupling Between Quadrupolar Spins: Single-Crystal, DOR, and J-Resolved NMR
J. Magn. Reson.,
2014
23Na Magic-Angle Spinning and Double-Rotation NMR Study of Solid Forms of Sodium Valproate
Can. J. Chem.,
2014
Symmetry-Amplified J Splittings for Quadrupolar Spin Pairs: A Solid-State NMR Probe of Homoatomic Covalent Bonds
J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
2013
NMR Crystallography of Sodium Diphosphates: Combining Dipolar, Shielding, Quadrupolar, Diffraction, and Computational information
CrystEngComm,
2013
Measuring Dipolar and J Coupling Between Quadrupolar Nuclei Using Double-Rotation NMR
J. Chem. Phys.,
2013
Signal Enhancement in Solid-State NMR of Quadrupolar Nuclei
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2013
Multinuclear Magnetic Resonance Crystallographic Refinement and Cross-Validation Using Experimental and Computed Electric Field Gradients: Application to Na2Al2B2O7
J. Phys. Chem. C,
2012
QUEST - Quadrupolar Exact Software: a Fast Graphical Program for the Exact Simulation of NMR and NQR Spectra for Quadrupolar Nuclei
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2012
Sodium-23 Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Commercial Sodium Naproxen and its Solvates
J. Pharm. Sci.,
2012
Direct Investigation of Covalently-Bound Chlorines via 35Cl Solid-State NMR and Exact Spectral Line Shape Simulations
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.,
2012
Organometallo Supramolecular Assemblies: Structural Evidence for Multiple Alkali Metals between Sandwich Decks in a Metallocene
Dalton Trans.,
2012
Potent Inhibition of Ice Recrystallization by Low Molecular Weight Carbohydrate-based Surfactants and Hydrogelators
Chem. Sci.,
2012
23Na Double-Rotation NMR of Sodium Nucleotides Leads to the Discovery of a New dCMP Hendecahydrate
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.,
2012
Residual Dipolar Coupling Between Quadrupolar Nuclei Under Magic-Angle Spinning and Double-Rotation Conditions
J. Magn. Reson.,
2011
Removal of Sidebands in Double-Rotation NMR in Real Time
J. Magn. Reson.,
2011
A ZORA-DFT and NLMO Study of the One-Bond Fluorine-X Indirect Nuclear Spin-Spin Coupling Tensors for Various VSEPR Geometries
Can. J. Chem.,
2011
Measurement of Δ1J(199Hg,31P) in [HgPCy3(OAc)2]2 and Relativistic ZORA DFT Investigations of Mercury-Phosphorus Coupling Tensors
Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson.,
2009