James Blakemore

James Blakemore is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kansas and a Faculty Fellow in the University Honors Program. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry and B.A. in Spanish from Wichita State University (2007), a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University (2012), and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology (2012–2015). His research focuses on redox-induced chemical reactions involving actinides, lanthanides, and light gases, with an emphasis on applications in catalysis, solar-energy conversion, and sustainability. He is a Resnick Postdoctoral Fellow (2014) and leads the Blakemore Laboratory, which explores mechanisms of actinide reactivity, surface electrochemistry, and molecular electrocatalysis.

His work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Chevron Phillips Chemical, and the Spring Creek Fund. He has advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have pursued postdoctoral positions or industrial roles in chemistry. Notable collaborations include work with Dr. Tonya Vitova (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and Dr. John Gilbertson (Western Washington University).

• Education:
• B.S. Chemistry, Wichita State University (2007)
• B.A. Spanish, Wichita State University (2007)
• Ph.D. Chemistry, Yale University (2012)
• Resnick Postdoctoral Fellow, Caltech (2012–2015)
• Research Interests:
• Actinide/Lanthanide Redox Chemistry
• Molecular Electrocatalysis
• Heavy Element Coordination Chemistry
• CO2-Expanded Electrolytes
• Awards:
• Resnick Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014)