OIST is welcoming Assistant Professor Julia Khusnutdinova to head a new unit called Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis.
OIST is welcoming Assistant Professor Julia Khusnutdinova to head a new unit called Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis. Khusnutdinova is joining OIST from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, where she is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. She is interested in the design of new transition metal complexes for use in renewable energy applications and “green” catalysis.
Khusnutdinova earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park in the US. From there, she became a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St. Louis before moving to the Weizmann Institute. Khusnutdinova’s research is focused on creating new transition metal complexes to be used as catalysts. She is particularly interested in catalysts formed by two or more metal centers surrounded by a stabilizing organic compound, or ligand, that allows for control of electronic properties and reactivity. These compounds will be used as catalysts for reactions such as carbon dioxide reduction or water splitting, which have applications in renewable and clean energy technologies.
Khusnutdinova is excited about OIST’s “unique research culture and great opportunities for collaboration with excellent colleagues.” She says she is drawn to OIST because it “will allow me to get a new, broader perspective on the research areas that I can now explore given the interdisciplinary environment at the institute and the absence of narrow departmental divisions. I’m looking forward to becoming a part of the new university and establishing my new lab in this unique place.” Welcome to OIST, Dr. Khusnutdinova!
