Young dynamic scientific woman, I have professional experiences, that either in industry (AREVA NC La Hague, treatment and recycling of used nuclear fuel site) or in laboratory (UNLV radiochemistry section, working on Technetium and Los Alamos National Laboratory, working on actinium chemistry).
My current interests are focused on developing fundamental concepts that advance use of radio-pharmaceutical anti-cancer agents. As such, my research lies at the intersection of synchrotron spectroscopy, radiochemistry, and inorganic chemistry. In general, I draw from my experiences in studying nuclear fuel cycles, technetium chemistry, and actinium and the other actinide elements to develop creative solutions to technical problems in radio-pharmaceutical chelation.
Ph.D. Thesis "Chemistry of technetium sulfide: Application for waste form storage" • Bibliographic research on transition metal sulfides chemistry • Syntheses of rhenium sulfide performed as in literature and transposed to technetium-its analog • Solution work in organic or acidic media with use of Schlenk line techniques • Solid work in sealed tube at high temperature • Characterization used: o Spectroscopy analysis:
* UV-Visible (UV-Vis) used for kinetic and speciation studies * Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDS) for elemental analysis * X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) to determine amorphous compound local geometry and environment * Infra-Red (IR) to have molecular structure o Other methods: * Mass spectrometry to determine the mass of unknown compounds * Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm crystalline structure * Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) for elemental analysis for technetium
Independent studies: • Developed protocol to prepare simulated melt glass in high temperature furnace • Assisted senior laboratory researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory during dissolution of irradiated foils • Facilitated production of melt glass with activated products and shipment to Los Alamos, Pacific Northwest and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories • Trained first year Ph.D. student to produce melt glass • Mentored undergraduate students during Fuel Cycle Summer School to produce and characterize different type of urban material surrogate
Detailed Description
The focus of my research is on the synthesis of technetium sulfide species. The high fission yield isotope technetium-99 has a long half-life (2.13x10-5 years) and the ability to form mobile species (TcO4-) which is a major concern for its final disposal. While ongoing research examines Tc alloys or oxides, acquisition of new fundamental knowledge on technetium sulfide chemistry could be useful for novel waste forms. The work I have been involved focused on technetium oxosulfide complexes and the already known technetium sulfides compounds: TcS2 and Tc2S7. This research led me to be proficient with the following analyzers: UV-Visible spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Infra-red spectroscopy, to present my results at national and international conferences, and publish in peer reviewed journals.
Company Description
Radiochemistry Program (study the chemistry of actinides, technetium and other radionuclides)
