Polly L. Arnold

Polly L. Arnold is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Chemical Sciences Division Director at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). She leads the PLA Research Group, focusing on synthetic, inorganic, and organometallic chemistry with rare earths and actinides, aiming to develop novel catalysts and understand electronic structures in heavy elements.

• Education: MA in Chemistry from University of Oxford (1994), D.Phil. in Chemistry from University of Sussex (1997), Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT (1997-1999).

Her research spans homogeneous rare earth catalysis, actinide/transuranic synthesis, and uranyl oxo chemistry, with applications in sustainable chemistry, nuclear waste management, and quantum science. She has pioneered techniques for controlling f-block reactivity and developed catalysts for CO₂ conversion and biodegradable polyester synthesis.

Scientific awards include Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). Her lab employs state-of-the-art methods for synthesizing air-sensitive complexes and studying small molecule reactivity.