Loredana Valenzano-Slough

Loredana Valenzano-Slough is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Michigan Technological University. She earned her PhD from the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) in 2003 and her MSc from the University of Torino (Italy) in 2000. Prior to joining Michigan Tech as an Assistant Professor in 2012, she held positions as an Assistant Research Scientist at Michigan Tech (2010-2012), Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Torino (2005-2010), and Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Leiden (2003-2005).

Her educational background includes:

• PhD, University of Southampton, United Kingdom, 2003
• MSc, University of Torino, Italy, 2000

Dr. Valenzano-Slough's research focuses on computational characterization of molecules and materials across diverse domains. Her work addresses fundamental questions about intermolecular interactions, molecular driving forces, and molecular reactivity at the electronic structure level. She investigates how thermodynamics and kinetics determine structural development of materials at the molecular level, with particular emphasis on understanding how materials' morphologies influence their physical-chemical properties. Her research spans energetic materials, nanoporous materials, cementing materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients, crystal growth, nucleation processes, surfaces, and the effects of defects and solvents on material properties. Her group actively explores questions about nucleation initiation, crystal growth mechanisms, and the possibility of tailoring crystalline morphologies.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for gas storage and separation applications, computational studies of energetic materials like RDX, and investigations into the structural and mechanical properties of various crystalline materials. Her work often combines computational modeling with experimental validation, demonstrating expertise in quantum mechanical calculations and materials characterization. The research spans multiple disciplines including computational chemistry, materials science, and physical chemistry with applications in energy storage, sensing technologies, and pharmaceutical development.

Dr. Valenzano-Slough has been actively involved in mentoring students, with several undergraduate and graduate students contributing to her research projects. Her group has produced work on topics ranging from fluorescent probes for chemical detection to computational studies of material properties under various conditions. She has established collaborations with researchers at UCLA and maintains an active research program supported by university resources.

She has received funding support including a start-up package from Michigan Tech and the UCLA MSGC-NASA Pruett Scholarship. Dr. Valenzano-Slough has presented her research at numerous conferences including APS March Meetings, ACS Spring Meetings, and specialized workshops on shock compression of condensed matter. She serves as a reviewer for multiple prestigious journals including JACS, Journal of Physical Chemistry, and Dalton Transactions.

Her research group maintains active collaborations, particularly with Dr. H. Liu at MTU and Dr. G. Sant at UCLA, focusing on computational chemistry applications to materials science problems. The group utilizes high-performance computing resources at Michigan Tech for their computational studies, with team members regularly working across campus in both ChemSci and Rekhi Hall.