The Physical Sciences and Engineering (PSE) directorate at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has announced the awardees for the 2023 PSE Early Investigator Named Award program. 

The program is designed to support exceptional early career researchers at Argonne as they break into their fields. Awardees receive funding, mentorship and additional support to conduct ground-breaking research aligned with Argonne’s strategic mission. 

The PSE program will provide awardees with the opportunity to gather preliminary data for use in defining and clarifying compelling proposals, as well as mentorship and support within the laboratory community. 

“It’s essential that we provide early career researchers with support, mentorship and opportunity,” said Kawtar Hafidi, Associate Laboratory Director of Physical Sciences and Engineering. ​“Investing in researchers in the early stages of their careers is crucial to maintaining U.S. leadership in science and technology.” 

The 2023 cohort includes: 

Rebecca Caravan, Chemical Sciences and Engineering (CSE) 

• Proposal title: “​Controlling the reactivity of gas-phase intermediates via molecular complexation” 
• Mentor: Stephen J. Klippenstein (CSE) 

Katie Harrington, High Energy Physics (HEP) 

• Proposal title: ​“CMB foreground component separation with an LIM pathfinder” 
• Mentors: Lindsey Bleem and Amy Bender (HEP) 

David Kaphan, CSE 

• Proposal title: ​“Dynamic catalysis for H2 generation from ammonia” 
• Mentor: Massimiliano Delferro (CSE) 

Aleena Rafique, HEP 

• Proposal title: ​“Enabling precise measurement of neutrino interactions using advanced computing in DUNE” 
• Mentor: Zelimir Djurcic (HEP) 

Yong Zhao, Physics (PHY) 

• Proposal title: ​“QCD framework for proton tomography on a lattice: from 3D to 5D” 
• Mentor: Ian Cloët (PHY)