March 2023: Jessica is selected as a COLL Division poster award winner at the ACS Spring Meeting in Indianapolis for her REU work with Prof. Naomi Halas at Rice University. Congratulations, Jessica!
February 2023: Gianna and Dylan’s paper “Plasmon-Mediated Reconfiguration of Twin Defect Structures in Silver Nanoparticles” is accepted for publication in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. Congratulations to all of the co-authors!
August 2022: Prof. Personick’s grant proposal on the use of electrochemical tools to overcome barriers in the synthesis of precision nanostructures from non-platinum-group metals is funded by the Department of Energy.
May 2022: Prof. Personick’s grant proposal “Electrochemistry as a Design Tool for Colloidal Syntheses of Polyhedral Metal Nanoparticles” is funded by the National Science Foundation (Division of Chemistry / Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry Program).
April 2022: Congratulations to Personick Lab graduating students on many awards and honors!
- Gianna Argento BA ’21/MA ’22: Successful masters thesis defense
- Dylan Judd ’22: Bradley Prize (to the senior or junior who excels in chemistry and particularly in special original work) and Phi Beta Kappa
- Sterre Hesseling ’22: The Wallace C. Pringle Prize for Research in Chemistry (awarded by the Chemistry Department to a student for excellence in research) and thesis high honors
April 2022: Prof. Personick’s book chapter Plasmon-Mediated Syntheses of Polyhedral Noble Metal Nanoparticles is published.
March 2022: Personick Lab alumni reconnect at the ACS Spring Meeting in San Diego.
March 2022: Congratulations to Sean, who presented an excellent defense of his PhD thesis and started a new position as a postdoc at the NASA Glenn Research Center!
January 2022: Jing Jing and Emma’s book chapter Halide Ions on Metal Nanoparticles for Shape- and Composition-Controlled Synthesis is published! Congratulations, Jing Jing and Emma!
January 2022: Gabe Halford joins the group as a graduate student. Welcome, Gabe!
December 2021: Sean’s paper Potential-Controlled (R)Evolution: Electrochemical Synthesis of Nanoparticles with Well-Defined Shapes is accepted for publication in ChemNanoMat. Congratulations, Sean!
August 2021: Jessica Luu ’24 wins first place in Wesleyan’s 2021 Scientific Imaging Contest. Congratulations, Jessica!
July 2021: The Personick Group receives funding from DEPSCoR/ARO through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) for the acquisition of an experimental setup for diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS).
May 2021: Congratulations to the 2021 graduates of the Personick Research Group: Jing Jing Wang (BA ’20/MA ’21), Abrar Habib (BA ’21), Emma Shapiro (BA ’21), Leila Etemad (BA ’21), and Gianna Argento (BA ’21)!
April 2021: Congratulations to multiple members of the group who have won departmental awards!
- Bradley Prize: Sterre Hesseling ’22 and Emma Shapiro ’21
- The gift of Stanley David Wilson ’09, in memory of Professor Walker Parke Bradley, to the senior or junior who excels in chemistry and particularly in special original work.
- The Wallace C. Pringle Prize for Research in Chemistry: Sean McDarby (grad)
- Gift of Eleanor and Wallace Pringle and their family and friends. This prize is awarded by the Chemistry Department to a student for excellence in research.
- ACS Connecticut Valley Section Award: Emma Shapiro ’21
- Awarded for outstanding achievement to a graduating chemistry major.
- ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry: Abrar Habib ’21
- Awarded to an undergraduate to recognize achievement in inorganic chemistry and to encourage further study in the field.
- American Institute of Chemists Award: Gianna Argento ’21
- Awarded to a graduating chemistry major for outstanding achievement.
February 2021: Prof. Personick is promoted to associate professor with tenure, effective July 2021.
February 2021: Maddie Bechard joins the group as a graduate student. Welcome, Maddie!
December 2020: Sean’s paper An Integrated Electrochemistry Approach to the Design and Synthesis of Polyhedral Noble Metal Nanoparticles is featured as a supplementary cover for Volume 142, Issue 51 of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
November 2020: Sean’s paper An Integrated Electrochemistry Approach to the Design and Synthesis of Polyhedral Noble Metal Nanoparticles is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Congratulations, Sean!
July 2020: Prof. Personick is appointed to the inaugural Early Career Advisory Board of Chemical Reviews.
May 2020: Congratulations to the 2020 Personick Lab graduates: Dr. Melissa King (Ph.D.), Tenzin Ngodup (B.A.), Jing Jing Wang (B.A.), and Sonja Welch (B.A.)!
May 2020: Congratulations to Jing Jing Wang ’20, recipient of the ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry!
March 2020: Abrar and Melissa’s paper Plasmon-Mediated Synthesis of Hybrid Silver-Platinum Nanostructures is published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. Congratulations, Abrar and Melissa!
February 2020: Tenzin is selected as a 2020 inductee of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Honor Society. Congratulations, Tenzin!
February 2020: Dr. Elizabeth Fugate joins the Personick Lab as a postdoc. Welcome, Dr. Fugate!
October 2019: Congratulations to Melissa, the Personick Lab’s first Ph.D. graduate, on her successful thesis defense!
August 2019: Melissa’s paper Halide-Assisted Metal Ion Reduction: Emergent Effects of Dilute Chloride, Bromide, and Iodide in Nanoparticle Synthesis is published in Nanoscale. Congratulations, Melissa!
June 2019: Prof. Personick travels to Dearborn, Michigan to participate in the first VIPEr Fellows Workshop. VIPEr Fellows are part of a NSF–funded study to develop, test, and refine a flexible, foundation-level inorganic chemistry course.
May 2019: Congratulations to Eija Kent, graduate of the class of 2019 and recipient of the American Institute of Chemists Award for outstanding achievement in chemistry!
April 2019: Eija Kent ’19 and Abrar Habib ’21 present their research at the ACS Connecticut Valley Section Undergraduate Research Symposium at Amherst College. Nice work, Eija and Abrar!
February 2019: Danny and Prof. Personick’s “Up and Coming” perspective article on Growing Nanoscale Model Surfaces to Enable Correlation of Catalytic Behavior Across Dissimilar Reaction Environments is featured on the front cover of Volume 31, Issue 4 of Chemistry of Materials.
February 2019: Haeyoon and Melissa’s review article on Strategic Synergy: Advances in the Shape Control of Bimetallic Nanoparticles with Dilute Alloyed Surfaces is published in Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science. Congratulations, Haeyoon and Melissa!
January 2019: Danny and Prof. Personick’s perspective on Growing Nanoscale Model Surfaces to Enable Correlation of Catalytic Behavior Across Dissimilar Reaction Environments is published in Chemistry of Materials as part of the “Up and Coming” perspective series. Congratulations, Danny!
October 2018: Danny is recognized with an honorable mention for the ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Research Award in the R1 institution category. Congratulations, Danny!
October 2018: Melissa’s recent achievements are highlighted in News@Wesleyan.
August 2018: Melissa’s paper on Iodide-Induced Differential Control of Metal Ion Reduction Rates: Synthesis of Terraced Palladium-Copper Nanoparticles with Dilute Bimetallic Surfaces is published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Congratulations, Melissa!
June 2018: Melissa is chosen to give a talk at the Noble Metal Nanoparticles Gordon Research Seminar. Her poster at the corresponding Gordon Research Conference is selected for a poster award presentation, and she is elected chair of the 2020 Noble Metal Nanoparticles GRS. Congratulations, Melissa!
June 2018: Prof. Personick is awarded a Young Investigator Grant from the Army Research Office.
May 2018: Congratulations to Personick Lab graduating students Max Distler (BA ’18), Haeyoon Jung (BA ’17, MA ’18), Danny Robertson (BA ’18), and David Solti (BA ’18)!
Five graduating lab members and lab alumni will be starting PhD programs next fall:
- Samutr Assavachin ’17 — UC Davis, Chemistry
- Max Distler ’18 — Northwestern University, Chemistry
- Danny Robertson ’18 — UCLA, Chemistry
- David Solti ’18 — Rice University, Chemistry
- Aidan Stone ’17 — Brown University, Chemical Engineering
Congratulations and good luck!
May 2018: The three graduating seniors in the Personick Lab are honored with departmental and university awards at the Chemistry Department Tishler Awards Luncheon:
- Peirce Prize: Max Distler ’18
- Awarded in successive years for excellence in biology, chemistry, and geology.
- The Wallace C. Pringle Prize for Research in Chemistry: Danny Robertson ’18
- Gift of Eleanor and Wallace Pringle and their family and friends. This prize is awarded annually by the Chemistry Department to a student for excellence in research (best honors thesis).
- ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry: David Solti ’18
- Awarded to an undergraduate for excellence in inorganic chemistry research and coursework.
- Graham Prize: Max Distler ’18
- The gift of James Chandler Graham, Class of 1890, awarded to a member of the graduating class for excellence in natural science.
- Karl Van Dyke Prize: Danny Robertson ’18
- Awarded each year to one or more students majoring in physical science or having a predominant interest in physical science and technology and who show outstanding achievement in academic work and a promise of productivity in a professional career.
March 2018: Aidan’s paper on Synthetic Routes to Shaped AuPt Core–Shell Particles with Smooth Surfaces Based on Design Rules for Au Nanoparticle Growth is published in Particle. Congratulations, Aidan!
March 2018: Members of the Personick Group travel to the ACS Spring National Meeting and have a productive and fun conference.
March 2018: Danny receives a student travel award from the ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry to give a talk at the 2018 ACS Spring National Meeting. Congratulations, Danny!
January 2018: The Personick Group is excited to welcome the new SU5000 field-emission SEM to the newly renovated Wesleyan Microscopy Facility!
November 2017: Melissa’s paper on Defects by Design: Synthesis of Palladium Nanoparticles with Extended Twin Defects and Corrugated Surfaces is published in Nanoscale. Congratulations, Melissa!
October 2017: Danny’s paper on Concave Cubes as Experimental Models of Catalytic Active Sites for the Oxygen-Assisted Coupling of Alcohols by Dilute (Ag)Au Alloys is published in Topics in Catalysis. Congratulations, Danny!
September 2017: Prof. Personick is interviewed for the Wesleyan Faculty Spotlight.
August 2017: Prof. Personick’s proposal for a new field-emission SEM is funded by the NSF Major Research Instrumentation program.
July 2017: Melissa’s paper is highlighted in Advanced Science News.
July 2017: Prof. Personick is awarded a doctoral new investigator grant from the ACS Petroleum Research Fund.
May 2017: Melissa’s paper on Bimetallic Nanoparticles with Exotic Facet Structures via Iodide-Assisted Reduction of Palladium is featured on the cover of Particle.
May 2017: Five members of the Personick Lab are honored with departmental awards at the Chemistry Department Awards Luncheon:
- ACS Connecticut Valley Section Award: Haeyoon Jung ’17
- Awarded to a graduating chemistry major for outstanding achievement.
- Bradley Prize: Aidan Stone ’17
- Awarded to the senior or junior who excels in chemistry, particularly in special original work.
- Martius Yellow Award: Max Distler ’18
- Awarded for excellence in Integrated Lab (CHEM 375/576).
- ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry: Danny Robertson ’18
- Awarded to an undergraduate for excellence in inorganic chemistry research and coursework.
- Tishler Prize: Melissa King
- Awarded annually to the best graduate teaching assistant in chemistry.
Congratulations Haeyoon, Aidan, Max, Danny, and Melissa!
April 2017: Melissa presented an excellent invited talk as part of Wesleyan’s Graduate Student Speaker Series.
March 2017: Melissa’s paper on Bimetallic Nanoparticles with Exotic Facet Structures via Iodide-Assisted Reduction of Palladium is published in Particle. Congratulations, Melissa!
February 2017: Prof. Personick’s review article on Selective Oxygen-Assisted Reactions of Alcohols and Amines Catalyzed by Metallic Gold is featured on the cover of ACS Catalysis.
July 2016: Aidan ’17 wins 2nd place in the inaugural Wesleyan Scientific Imaging Contest! Congratulations, Aidan!
June 2016: Prof. Personick receives the Victor K. Lamer Award from the ACS Colloid and Surface Science Division.
May 2016: Aidan ’17 receives the ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry for excellence in inorganic chemistry research and coursework. Congratulations, Aidan!