Alexandra Sullivan ’14 won a prestigious research grant from the National Science Foundation to continue her doctoral work on organometallic (OM) chemistry – the study of organic molecules containing metals.
“I love my work,” says Sullivan, who is pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. “I find the most interesting aspect of my work is collaborating with other scientists. It’s an invigorating environment to be able to talk science with colleagues every day, and bounce ideas back and forth.
“I love learning, and my job revolves around gathering new knowledge.”
Sullivan, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from 61传媒, is looking forward to advancing her research and discovering new findings.
“I will be studying metal complexes that catalyze reactions that are interesting to industry, specifically the production of refined petrochemicals from cheap organic starting materials,” explains Sullivan.
While an undergraduate student at the W.M. Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna College, Pitzer College, and 61传媒, Sullivan worked closely with Associate Professor of Chemistry Anna Wenzel and Associate Professor of Chemistry Nancy Williams. “I am inspired by both women and am so honored to have had the chance to work with them,” says Sullivan, who is from Virginia City in Nevada. “I am incredibly grateful to my mentors.”
Impressed with Sullivan’s “stellar” work in general chemistry, professor Williams encouraged Sullivan to apply for a summer grant in 2011 to work at the W.M. Keck Science Department.
“She made great progress on a project in organometallic chemistry,” Williams says. “And now she’s accepted a graduate position at UNC, which has one of the most highly regarded programs in the country for organometallic chemists.”
Based on her work in Wenzel’s organic chemistry class, Wenzel recommended her as an Amgen Scholar for Caltech Professor of Chemistry Robert H. Grubbs, the 2005 Nobel laureate in chemistry. Last summer, Sullivan conducted laboratory research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. She says she was “surprised and honored” to have received the NSF graduate fellowship.
“I was so elated when I saw the acceptance in my inbox,” Sullivan says.
The NSF Graduate Fellowship supports students interested in pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. NSF Fellows bolster the country’s technological infrastructure, while advancing society’s economic well-being through research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering.