Category Archives: People and Events

We are thrilled to celebrate Andrea Darù for being recognized as an honorable mention in the 2024 Maria Lastra Award for exceptional mentorship at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.  Andrea’s dedication to guiding and inspiring peers embodies the essence of mentorship, paving the way for future leaders in science and engineering.

Thank you, Andrea, for your contributions in fostering a collaborative and supportive research community.  Your impact is a testament to the transformative power of mentorship!

For more information, read here.

The Gagliardi Group congratulates Dr. Soumi Haldar as she begins an exciting new chapter in her career.  Soumi has joined Prof. Brett Savoie’s group as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Notre Dame.  In her new role, she will work on methods and software development, data analysis, and simulations for chemical machine learning and reaction prediction projects.

We wish Soumi all the best in this next phase of her journey!

We are excited to welcome Joshua Zhou as the newest member of our group.

Joshua earned his B.S. and M.S.E. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, where he worked with Professor Brandon Bukowski.  His research there focused on classical simulations of amphiphilic organic molecules and developing machine-learning potentials for lithium-sulfur systems.

As a Ph.D. student, Joshua will explore machine learning applications in electronic structure theories, with a focus on catalytic reactions involving transition metals and actinides.

Welcome, Joshua—we’re thrilled to have you on the team!

Congratulations to Brian and Aniruddha for passing their candidacy exams.  We marked this milestone with a small celebration, recognizing their hard work and dedication.

Here’s to their bright futures ahead!

We are delighted to welcome three new members to the Gagliardi Group: Dr. Lac Ha Nguyen, Helen Clifford, and Younghwan Kim.

Dr. Lac Ha Nguyen brings extensive expertise in chemistry and chemical engineering.  He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Can Tho University, both in Vietnam.  He has held postdoctoral positions at UC Berkeley, as well as roles as a Visiting Professor at UAE University and a Research Consultant at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

Helen Clifford earned her B.S. degree in Chemistry from The Ohio State University, where she conducted research with Professor John Herbert on polarizable continuum solvent models.  As a Ph.D. student, Helen’s research focuses on methods development and molecular dynamics simulations.

Younghwan Kim received his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Seoul National University, where he worked on computational studies of biomolecules to predict binding affinity and viscosity.  In the Gagliardi Group, Younghwan’s research interests include electronic structure calculations and materials design.

We are excited to have Lac Ha, Helen, and Younghwan join us and look forward to their contributions to advancing our research endeavors!

Shreya Verma has been selected as a recipient of the Olshansky Graduate Student Travel Award.  This recognition will support her participation in the Sanibel Symposium 2025 in St. Augustine, Florida.  At the symposium, Shreya will share her work on the “Exact Formulation of the Localized Active Space Method with Unitary Selective Coupled Cluster”.  

We’re proud of Shreya’s achievement and can’t wait to see her contributions recognized at the Sanibel Symposium.  Congratulations, Shreya!

We’re excited to announce that Aniruddha Seal has been awarded the Olshansky Graduate Student Travel Award.  Aniruddha will use this award to attend the Recent Advances in Modeling Rare Events (RARE) Meeting 2025 in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India.  At the RARE Meeting, Aniruddha will present a poster computing kinetics of strongly correlated systems by combining conformational flooding with multi-configurational pair density functional theory.

Congratulations to Aniruddha on this well-deserved recognition!

We’re excited to announce that Romit Chakraborty has joined PsiQuantum.  Romit’s expertise and passion for advancing quantum technologies make him a fantastic addition to the team.  His work at PsiQuantum will contribute to groundbreaking advancements in the field, supporting the company’s mission to harness the power of quantum computing for transformative impact.

Congratulations, Romit!  We look forward to seeing all that you’ll achieve on this new journey!

Professor Laura Gagliardi and Dr. Mathew Hermes recently reunited with former group members from China during their visit to Qingdao for the 11th Congress of the International Society for Theoretical Chemical Physics.  It was a joyous occasion, as they shared cherished memories and celebrated their professional successes over a delightful dinner.  Reconnecting after so many years reminded them of the strong bonds they built, and the evening was a testament to the lasting mentor-student relationships that transcend both time and distance.

Professor Laura Gagliardi delivered the opening plenary lecture, titled “Computational Discovery of Metal-Organic Frameworks for a Changing World,” at the Second ACS Smart Materials and Engineering International Conference on October 18 in Dalian, China.  A leading figure in computational and theoretical chemistry, Gagliardi’s presentation highlighted the pivotal role of computational methods in advancing material discovery.  In addition to her lecture, Professor Gagliardi also represented the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, where she serves as Editor in Chief.

The conference, organized in collaboration between the American Chemical Society (ACS) and Dalian University of Technology, featured cutting-edge developments in materials science, chemical engineering, and the application of AI in chemistry.

A special issue of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces will be published, showcasing the key research presented during the event.

Learn more here.