Julia Neumann preview image

Julia Neumann

Assistant Chemist

Biography

Dr. Julia Neumann earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry in Germany, focusing her research on how alumosilicate phases retain actinides, which contributed to risk assessments for nuclear waste storage in crystalline rock formations. She then completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship with the Interfacial Processes Group at Argonne National Laboratory, where she investigated the structure of mineral-fluid interfaces in concentrated brines. Currently, she is an early career staff scientist in the Heavy Element Chemistry and Separation Science group, where she explores the inorganic and physical chemistry of transuranics in reduced oxidation states. Her work includes studying actinide colloid formation and reactivity using optical and synchrotron x-ray spectroscopy and scattering techniques.

Professional Positions:

  • Assistant Chemist, Heavy Element Chemistry and Separation Science, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory (2024 - today)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Interfacial Processes Group, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory (2022 - 2023)
  • Doctoral Researcher, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology (2018 - 2021)

Education:

  • Dr. rer. nat. in Chemistry, Technical University Dresden in collaboration with Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany (2021)
  • M.Sc. in Chemistry, Major: Radiochemistry, Technical University Dresden, Germany (2016)
  • B.Sc. in Chemistry, Major: Physical Chemistry, Technical University Dresden, Germany (2014)

Publications:

  • Lessing, J., Neumann, J., Luetzenkirchen, J., Bok, F., Moisei-Rabung, S., Schild, D., Brendler, V., Stumpf, T., Schmidt, M. (2024). Natural and synthetic plagioclases: Surface charge characterization and sorption of trivalent lanthanides (Eu) and actinides (Am, Cm). Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 688, 133529.
  • Neumann, J., Carr, A.J., Lessing, J., Soderholm, L., Catalano, J.G., Fenter, P., Lee, S.S., (2024). Unraveling pH-Dependent Changes in Absorption Structure of Uranyl on Alumina (012). The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 15(13), 3493-3501.
  • Neumann, J., Lee, S.S., Zhao, E.J., Fenter, P., (2023). Direct Experimental Observations of ion Distributions during Overcharging at the Muscovite-Water Interface by Adsorption of Rb+ and Halides (Cl-, Br-, I-) at High Salinity, ChemPhysChem, 24 (22), e202300545.
  • Neumann, J., Lessing, J., Lee, S. S., Stubbs, J. E., Eng, P. J., Demnitz, M., Fenter, P., & Schmidt, M. (2023). Y(III) Sorption at the Orthoclase (001) Surface Measured by X-Ray Reflectivity. Environ. Sci. Technol., 57 (1), 266–276.
  • Neumann, J., Lee, S. S., Brinkmann, H., Eng, P. J., Stubbs, J. E., Stumpf, T., & Schmidt, M. (2022). Impact of Ion–Ion Correlations on the Adsorption of M(III) (M = Am, Eu, Y) onto Muscovite (001) in the Presence of Sulfate. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 126(3), 1400–1410.
  • Neumann, J., Qiu, C., Eng, P., Skanthakumar, S., Soderholm, L., Stumpf, T., & Schmidt, M. (2021). Effect of Background Electrolyte Composition on the Interfacial Formation of Th(IV) Nanoparticles on the Muscovite (001) Basal Plane. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 125(30), 16524–16535.
  • Neumann, J., Brinkmann, H., Britz, S., Lützenkirchen, J., Bok, F., Stockmann, M., Brendler, V., Stumpf, T., & Schmidt, M. (2021). A comprehensive study of the sorption mechanism and thermodynamics of f-element sorption onto K-feldspar. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 591, 490–499.