Alexandra Velian

Alexandra Velian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington, Seattle. She leads the Velian Research Group, which focuses on synthetic inorganic chemistry, catalysis, and the design of atomically precise inorganic nanomaterials. Her work emphasizes understanding and controlling metal-support interactions in catalysts and developing functional 2D materials like black phosphorus.

Education: B.S. in Chemistry (Caltech, 2009), Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry (MIT, 2015), followed by postdoctoral research at Columbia University under Prof. Colin Nuckolls. She joined UW in 2017.

Research Interests: Synthesis of inorganic clusters and nanomaterials, catalytic applications of single-atom catalysts, black phosphorus functionalization, and atomistic studies of surface reactivity. Key projects include the development of Fe/Co/Se nanoclusters for catalysis and the exploration of P-N bond chemistry in 2D materials.

Awards: 2023 Marion Milligan Mason Award (AAAS), 2020 NSF CAREER Award, MIT’s Alan Davison Prize (2015), and ACS Young Investigator Award. Her lab is funded by NSF, DOE, and private foundations.

Labs & Facilities: Located in the Chemistry Building (rooms 322-328), equipped with gloveboxes, Schlenk lines, and advanced spectroscopic tools. Research group includes ~20 members spanning graduate students, undergraduates, and postdocs.

Core Values: Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; fostering a supportive lab environment; and mentoring the next generation of chemists through courses like Chemistry Frontiers.