SFU Chem Student wins "Honourable Mention" in a National Award for Inorganic Chemistry

Ana has been part of the Warren Research Group since 2019 where she has contributed to the lab’s efforts in addressing the challenges associated with small molecule activation. The conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to useful products, such as carbon monoxide, is of particular interest in order to minimize the adverse effects of fossil fuels and anthropogenic carbon release. She has worked on projects focused on developing catalysts that make these conversions more efficient, which has involved synthesizing and studying arrays of metalloporphyrin catalysts, with ligand modifications, to understand the role of hydrogen bonding and proton donation on CO2 reduction. Using her expertise in porphyrin synthesis, electrochemistry, and computational calculations, she has been able to unravel the roles of these ligand modifications which in turn help guide future catalyst designs. This work has led to publications in esteemed journals such as ACS Catalysis, Inorganic Chemistry, and the Journal of American Chemical Society. Beyond her research work, Ana has also been involved in many science outreach efforts and student groups such as Electrochemical Society BC Student Chapter.

As part of the Award, Ana has been invited to give a talk at the CSC Conference this summer in Winnipeg, Manitoba.