The Blakemore Laboratory
Inspired by sustainability and stewardship, our group synthesizes new compounds and studies reactivity involving actinides, lanthanides, and light gases. We draw on perspectives from inorganic/organometallic chemistry, molecular electrochemistry, and surface science.
RECENT BLAKEMORE GROUP NEWS
12 May 2026 – Continuing the Parisian adventure, James visited the ITODYS laboratory at Université Paris Cité today and delivered an invited seminar on our proton-dependent neptunium redox chemistry. It is exciting to be back in the Bâtiment Lavoisier and walking the hallways of the former home of the Laboratoire d’Electrochimie Moleculaire (LEM). James was last here in 2019 for the Cyclic Voltammetry International School. Thanks to Benedikt Lassalle-Kaiser for the invitation and everyone at ITODYS for the very warm welcome!
11 May 2026 – Today, James visited the Laboratoire d’Chimie Moleculaire (LCM) at École Polytechnique and delivered an invited talk on our group’s collaborative work with Dr. Richard Wilson on neptunium chemistry, as well as our work on uranyl crown ether redox chemistry. Thanks to Dr. Cédric Tard for the invitation to visit l’X, and Grégory Nocton for taking time for discussions. Wonderful to have the chance to brainstorm about future experiments focused on molecular electrochemistry—and thanks for all the advice, Cédric!
6 May 2026 – Congratulations to our undergraduate student Noah Tucker, who has been selected to conduct a summer of collaborative research at Brookhaven National Laboratory! Noah will be collaborating with Dr. Dmitry Polyansky and Dr. David Grills on studies of metal-oxo bond activation with pulse radiolysis and stopped-flow methods. Noah is being supported by the DOE SULI program, which aims to help the United States to maintain a “highly skilled scientific and technical workforce.” As a SULI student, Noah will use advanced instruments available at the Accelerator Center for Energy Research (ACER) at BNL as well as the laboratories of the Artificial Photosynthesis Group. Congratulations, Noah!
1 May 2026 – Congratulations to our senior undergraduate Tej Gumaste, who has been named the recipient of a 2026 Tradition of Excellence Award by the KU Alumni Association! Students selected as recipients “exemplify the highest standards of student excellence” at KU and are “recognized for their transformative contributions to KU.” Tej is graduating this year from KU with a B.S. in Computer Science, and published a paper on his undergraduate research with us in the area of chemical informatics applied to crystallography earlier this year. Congratulations, Tej!
28 April 2026 – Our graduate student Ty OJanovac has been named a recipient of the Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship! The fellowship will provide support for Ty over the next four years (2026 to 2030) and is the most prestigious award at KU for graduate students. Congratulations, Ty!
16-17 April 2026 – This week, James was thrilled to visit Prof. Charlotte Williams and the Williams Research Group at the University of Oxford. Although motivated by different goals, the Williams Group and our own have kindred interests in chemistry. On Thursday, we discussed quantifying the effective Lewis acidity of metal cations, as well as the concept of Lewis acidity as a descriptor in multimetallic chemistry and catalysis. On Friday, James delivered an invited seminar on our approaches to quantification of Lewis acidity and understanding heterometallic effects in platinum-templated macrocycles. Thanks to Charlotte for the invitation—a real pleasure to meet and discuss the bright future of multimetallic chemistry!