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Research Group

Research Group Photo
PyRO Research Group (Current Students). Back row from left to right: Aaron Essilfie, Christoper Gibby, Addison Omdahl, Edward Mercado, Tyler Williams, Hunter Manner, Cameron Vann, Ander Fuller, Jarod Varga. Front row from left to right: Justin Wright, Bryant Johnson, J. Marvin Torrie, Makayla Larsen, Ashley Camp, Devin Rappleye, Carlos Mejia, Sara Warner, Thomas Smith (Unpictured: Shelssie Klvacek, George Ankrah, Kyle Duke)

At the heart of any research group is the people involved. It is the bright and motivated students who make quality research possible in the PyRO lab.

Currently, there are 1 post-doctoral researcher, 8 graduate students (8 PhD) and 10 undergraduates actively contributing to the research being performed in the PyRO lab.

Post-Doctoral Appointee:
Carlos Mejia - Buffered reference electrode development for molten salts, surrogate development for electrorefining in NaCl-KCl, mentoring students in their projects, managing day-to-day operations in the lab, and supporting proposal development

Graduate Students:

Graduate students lead major, multi-year, multi-faceted projects with the laboratory which involve various chemical techniques, processes, and undergraduate students

Aaron Essilfie - Electrochemical oxygen sensor for molten halide salts
Bryant Johnson - High-throughput electrorefining in molten salts (Electrochemistry)
George Ankrah - High-throughput electrorefining in molten salts (Metallography)
Hunter Manner - Miniaturizing electrorefining for specialized samples
J. Marvin Torrie - Two-step chloride volatility separation and chemical characterization (e.g., ICP-MS) of uranium chlorides
Cameron Vann - Electrolysis of chlorine from molten salts for in progress generation/electrochemical sensors and methods development
Tyler Williams - Development of thin cell electrochemical sensor for molten salts (chloride salts)
Edward Mercado - Development of thin cell electrochemical sensor for molten salts (fluoride salts)

Undergraduate Students:

In addition to supporting graduate students in their projects, undergraduate students in our group independently lead small, supplementary research projects which support the major research projects.

Addison Omdahl - Investigation of alternative approaches, including 3D printing, to make lids or other complex lab parts
Ander Fuller - Machine learning to model and improve molten salt electrorefining systems
Ashley Camp - Electrode Polishing, Cleaning, and Charaterization Methods
Christopher Gibby - Sensor logging and display (glovebox, thermocouples, etc.)
Jarod Varga - Rotating Hemispherical Electrode for Molten Salts and Corrosion Studies
Justin Wright - Chemical Analysis of Uranium after Chlorination with Chlorine Gas
Makayla Larsen - Plutonium Electrochemistry Review Paper
Sara Warner - Sampling of Electrorefining Cells
Shelssie Klvacek - Wetting effects on W electrode and accurate area measurement
Thomas Smith - Electrode lead shielding

Past Graduate Students - Projects (Employer after leaving the PyRO lab)
Michael Stoddard - Advanced voltammetry model for uranium chloride in molten LiCl-KCl (Department of Energy)
Greg Chipman - AC superimposed DC electrorefining (Savannah River National Laboratory)
Mark Schvaneveldt - In-situ chlorine generation (Argonne National Laboratory)
Ranon Fuller - Rotating electrode and hydrodynamic correlations in molten salts (Idaho National Laboratory)