October 1, 2023.

We are excited to announce funding support from the National Nuclear Security Administration of the Department of Energy (NNSA DOE). Six US universities (Geogia Institute of Technology, Washington State University, UC Santa Barbara, University of South Dakota, University of Iowa, and the University of Akron) are awarded $11.6 million from the NNSA to establish a TRansUranic Chemistry Center of Research Excellence (TRU CoRE) aimed at investigating electronic and structural variations that govern plutonium (Pu) and americium (Am) reactivity and speciation. Popov group is a part of the TRU CoRE directed by Prof. La Pierre from Georgia Tech. As a part of the multi-institutional team, Prof. Popov receives $1,184,861 for the 5-year period to start in October 2023. We are excited to push the boundaries of our understanding of metal-ligand bonding in transuranic complexes, unravelling the mechanisms of the stabilization of americium complexes in extreme metal oxidations states as well as assessing the coordination environment, stability, reactivity of plutonium hydrides and deciphering the nature of Pu-H interactions. This scientific mission provides both solutions to long-standing technical challenges and establishes a workforce development program to support the mission of the US National Laboratories and the NNSA. Congrats to the whole team and to the Popov group!!!