The Blakemore Laboratory
Inspired by the pursuit of sustainability, our group studies mechanisms of redox-induced chemical reactions, particularly those involving actinides, lanthanides, and light gases. We draw on perspectives from inorganic/organometallic chemistry, molecular electrochemistry, and surface science.
RECENT BLAKEMORE GROUP NEWS
2 July 2025 – Congratulations to our graduate student Alex Ervin, who has been named the recipient of the Department of Chemistry's Chaffee Fellowship. This fellowship will support Alex's appointment as a graduate research assistant in Fall 2025, fueling his research on heterobimetallic actinide chemistry and accelerating work on his Ph.D. dissertation. Congrats, Alex!
30 June 2025 – Welcome to senior undergraduate student Chris Rupp, who is visiting our laboratory from the group of Dr. John Gilbertson at Western Washington University (WWU) for a week of collaborative surface electrochemistry! We have recently started collaborating with Dr. G at WWU, and we are excited to get the latest experiments underway. Chris is being co-mentored by Davis Curry at KU. Welcome again, Chris!
15 June 2025 – The Blakemore Group attended the 30th Rare Earth Research Conference at Argonne National Laboratory this week. At this meeting, we presented our work in actinide redox chemistry and reactivity; James and Alex delivered talks and others presented posters on our work. Thanks to Dr. Richard Wilson for the invitation to present at the meeting and for organizing a productive and exciting program!
9 May 2025 – Graduate student Davis Curry has been named a co-recipient of the 2025 Bernstein Award for Future Faculty. This award is given annually by the KU Center for Teaching Excellence and recognizes KU graduate students who have both approached their teaching as inquiry into learning and plan to pursue future teaching opportunities in their careers. Congratulations, Davis!
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You cannot step into the same river twice, for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you. – Heraclitus
The best of all pleasures [is] collaborating on scientific work with friends. – E. Teller
I believe that until we progress far enough to live in the present (outside time and space) we shall experience beauty in the knowledge that things steadily grow.
– P. Mondrian