Christine Aikens

Christine Aikens is a University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Kansas State University (KSU), where she leads the Aikens Research Laboratory. Her work focuses on theoretical and computational studies of nanomaterials, particularly noble metal nanoparticles and their applications in catalysis, energy, and biorenewables. She holds a B.S. from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Iowa State University (2005), followed by postdoctoral research at Northwestern University (2005–2007).

Her research emphasizes understanding structure-property relationships in nanomaterials, including optical properties, electron dynamics, and catalytic reactivity. Major areas include plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis, bioinspired water splitting catalysts, and ligand effects on nanoparticle stability. She collaborates with experimental groups globally, including the Di Sun and Ackerson groups for nanocluster characterization and synthesis.

Dr. Aikens has received numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER (2010), Sloan Fellowship (2011), Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar (2011), and 2020 ACS Rising Star Award. Her lab has pioneered computational methods like TDDFT+TB for nanoscale systems and contributed to software development for teaching nanoscience (NUITNS program).

• Grants: DOE, NSF, Air Force Office of Scientific Research
• Students: Advised 15+ graduate students and postdocs, including current researchers Sulalith Samarasinghe and Gayathri Habarakadage

Active in professional service, she co-organized the 2024 International Symposium on Monolayer-Protected Clusters and frequently presents at Gordon Research Conferences. Her lab's work bridges theory and experiment, advancing sustainable materials and energy solutions.