| Description | Molecular Engineering and Sciences Seminar Series
Topological Data Analyses Unravel Interfacial Structure and Dynamics for a New Era in Separations Science
Abstract: Solvent extraction is perhaps the most industrially employed separations technology worldwide, yet it is traditionally thought of as too mature for innovation. Although such perspectives may have merit when considering equilibrium distributions of solutes, most industrial processing conditions leverage nonequilibrium conditions to influence separation kinetics. When viewed from this perspective, the role of the liquid:liquid interface gains importance and provides the potential to dramatically change separations paradigms. Recent work in the Clark laboratory, utilizing topological data analysis and geometric measure theory, has revealed previously unrecognized aspects of the heterogeneous nature of the liquid:liquid interface, and in turn, how this impacts solute transport mechanisms and kinetics. This work paves the way for considering tailored liquid:liquid interfacial structure at a molecular level, where the populations of interfacial microenvironments amenable to chemical reactivity and transport are tuned through careful selection of solution conditions. Bio: Aurora Clark is the Director for the Center for Institutional Research Computing and Professor of Chemistry at Washington State University. She received her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Indiana University in 2003 and subsequently was a Directors post-doctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She joined the Chemistry Department at Washington State University in 2005 as an Assistant Professor, receiving tenure in 2011, and promotion to Full Professor in 2016. Her research employs both quantum and statistical mechanics to study chemical processes in extreme and complex chemical environments, with an emphasis upon solution chemistry and liquid interfaces (with applications in Separations and structured fluids). She has pioneered new methods that employ topological data analysis of molecular simulations in high performance computing environments. These interests are reflected in her role as Deputy Director of the Department of Energy, Energy Frontier Research Center on Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials. Dr. Clark has received several awards for scientific achievement and leadership, including the American Chemical Society Dreyfus Lectureship, and in 2017 was elected a Fellow of the ACS. She is currently a member of the National Academy of Sciences committee on a New Era of Separations Science. She serves on the editorial advisory board for the Journal of Chemical Physics, on the editorial board of Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange, and as Chair-Elect of the DOE Council on Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. This weekly seminar brings together students, faculty and invited guests from various disciplines across campus to explore current trends in molecular engineering and nanotechnology. It is a forum for active interdisciplinary discussions. These talks are open to the public and attract a diverse audience of students and faculty. |
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