Research Interest
Professional Experience
Honors & Awards
Professional Society Memberships
Professional Service
Advisor to Post Doctoral Fellows:
Advisor to High School & NSF Summer Interns:
Ph.D. Geosciences 1992 (Alan Davis, Adviser)
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
B.S. Geology 1982
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Organic geochemistry of biomacromolecules, Abiotic organic synthesis and the origin of life, Structure and chemistry of extraterrestrial macromolecules, Geochemical applications of Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR), X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) and X-ray microscopy, and Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS).
**************************************************************************
Senior Research Scientist- Geochemist-Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Sept. 1995-present
Enrico Fermi Scholar -Chemistry Division, Argonne National Laboratory 1994-1995
Post Doctoral Researcher-Chemistry Division, Argonne National Laboratory 1992-1994
Research Assistant-Department of Geosciences, Penn State University, 1988-1992
Research Technologist-Exxon Research and Engineering Co., 1985-1987
Research/Teaching Assistant-Dept. of Geology University of Massachusetts,1982-1984
Principal Investigator in charge of W. M. Keck Solid State NMR Laboratory-Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Sept 1998-present
**************************************************************************
Best Presentation: Fuel Chemistry at Nanoscales: Presented at the Hydrocarbon Resources Gordon Conference, Ventura, 1999
Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship, GL 1996
Enrico Fermi Scholar, ANL 1994
Phi Kappa Phi-Graduate Honors Society, PSU 1991
Mining and Mineral Resources Fellowship, PSU 1991
Texaco Fellowship, PSU 1990
**************************************************************************
American Chemical Society
*************************************************************************
• APS Imaging review panel 2004-2005
• NAS Limits of Life Task Group
• Associate Editor Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 2002-2004
• Chair of the Origins of Life Gordon Conference (2005)
• Co-Organizer, The Living Planet Symposium, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 2002
• Chair ACS Geochemistry Division 2001.
•ACS Geochemistry Program Chairperson- ACS Division of Geochemistry, 2000
•Symposium Co-organizer: Mineralogy at the Next Millennium: A Workshop in Honor of Charles Prewitt and Larry Finger, Carnegie Institution of Washington, April, 1999
• Member of CAPTEM 2000-2003
• Member of the Strategic Planning Group for LITU (Life in the Universe)
• Member of the NASA ASTID Review Panel (2003)
• Member of the NASA Cosmochemistry Review Panel (2002-2004)
• Member of the Review Panel for NASA Mars Scout Panel (2002)
• Member of the Review Panel for the NASA Exobiology Program (2001,2003)
• Member of the Review Panel for the NASA Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program (NASA-IDDP) 2000
• Member of the Review Panel for NASA’s Origins of the Solar System-2000-2001 (OSSRP)
• Contributing member on the Task Group on Exploring Organic Environments in the Solar System (TGEOSS) 2000-2001 under the auspices of the NAS/NAE/IOM/NRC
• Special Interest Group Representative for the Users Executive Committee, National Synchrotron Light Source 1998-2000
•Work Shop Co-organizer: Polymer Applications of Soft X-ray Spectromicroscopy , NIST, May 1998
•Symposium co-organizer: American Chemical Society
The Macromolecular Structure of Coal ACS Annual Spring Meeting, 1997
The Role of Water in Organic Reactions ACS Annual Spring Meeting 1999
**************************************************************************
Dr. Jay Brandes (1996-1998) (University of Texas-Austin)
Dr. Timothy Filley (1997-2000) (Purdue University)
Dr. Joakim Bebie (1999-2000) (Switzerland)
Dr. Anurag Sharma (1999-2002) (RPI)
Dr. Sung Keun Lee (2002-present)
Dr. C. Kevin Boyce- Joint NRC-NAI fellow Harvard-CIW (2001-2003) (U. Chicago)
**************************************************************************
Ms. Elisabeth Stranges (Montgomery Blair HS)
Ms. Amy-Marie Accardi (RPI,WHOI)
Mr. Jacob Waldbauer (Dartmouth, Stanford, MIT)
Ms. Stacia Desantis (Dartmouth)
Ms. Beth-Ann Parker (Huntington College)
Ms. Ashley Smith (McGill University)
Ms. Jean Li (Montgomery Blair HS-Columbia)-Intel Science Talent Search Finalist
Mr. Stephen Lin (Montgomery Blair HS-Univ. Penn)
Ms. Rebekah Miller (Swarthmore)
Ms. Elena Chung (Montgomery Blair HS)-Intel Science Talent Search Semi Finalist
Ms. Minh-H Le (Montgomery Blair HS)
