Arden Hammer

Graduate Student, Northwestern University
Kanatzidis Group, Exploratory Synthesis
Phone: 847-467-6335
E-Mail: ardenhammer2027@u.northwestern.edu
Office: GG19

B.A. Chemistry (High Honors)
B.A. Biochemisry
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio, 2018

Profile

I graduated from Oberlin College in 2018 with a B.A. in chemistry, a B.A. in biochemistry, and extensive training in geochemistry. Under the guidance of Dr. Catherine Oertel, I studied lead oxide carboxylates, a family of extended inorganic hybrids best known as players in lead organ pipe corrosion. I synthesized lead oxide carboxylates with subtly tuned ligand geometries, elucidating trends that can inform property optimization in other extended inorganic hybrids. Additionally, under the guidance of Dr. Laura Barge at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, I spent a summer researching the morphology and mineral composition of low-temperature seafloor vent analogs. I focused largely on relating the microstructure of vent analogs to their interactions with geochemically relevant organic molecules. My findings have implications for terrestrial and extraterrestrial habitability, as well as theories for origin(s) of life. In the Kanatzidis lab, I am working on synthesis of lithium-containing chalcogenides, a family of materials with a vast array of potential applications but bottlenecks in their efficient synthesis. I hope to eventually study the phase change behavior of metal chalcogenides in order to rationally tune synthetic procedures. This may bring to light novel crystal structures that may not be apparent from traditional black-box synthesis.