Anisotropic and Shape-selective Nanomaterials: Structure-property Relationships

​Prof. Dr. Simona Hunyadi Murph is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Dr. Murph is a Principal Scientist in the National and Homeland Security Directorate at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the University of Georgia (UGA), USA. She is the founder and manager of the SRNL’s Group for Innovation and Advancements in NanoTechnology Sciences (GIANTS) program, which is intended to advance young scholars’ knowledge and skills in the many fields of nanoscience. Her group’s research focuses on the design and control of fabrication for colloidal materials with functional properties for sensing and imaging, catalysis, bio-medical and environmental applications, plasmonics, energy conversion and storage. The remarkable advances made by Dr. Murph and her team in the field of nanotechnology have led to numerous publications, awards, grants, invention disclosures, and patents. She holds a PhD in Chemistry/Nanotechnology from the University of South Carolina, USA, an Education Specialist/Educational Leadership (EdS) degree from Augusta University, USA, and both a Master of Science (MS) in Chemistry and Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry/Physics with a minor in Education from Babes-Bolyai University in Romania.
Dr. George K. Larsen is a Senior Scientist at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). After receiving a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) in Philosophy and Physics from Piedmont College, USA, Dr. Larsen attended the University of Georgia, earning a PhD in Physics. Dr. Larsen’s research concentrates on the properties and applications of nanostructures, covering a range of topics from clean energy to the electrical properties of tilted nanorod arrays. At the SRNL, Dr. Larsen’s work focuses on the exploitation of nanostructures for remote heat generation, photocatalysis, hydrogenproduction, and radiation safety, among others.
Dr. Kaitlin J. Coopersmith is a Senior Scientist at the Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, SC, USA. She received her PhD in Chemistry from Syracuse University, USA and her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Potsdam. Her research interests include the synthesis and functionalization of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles for sensing, drug delivery, energy transfer, gas adsorption, and alternative heating mechanisms.