Yulia Pushkar

Yulia Pushkar is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue University, affiliated with the College of Science. She holds a M.S. from Moscow State University (1999) and a Ph.D. from Freie Universität Berlin (2003). Her research focuses on energy conversion mechanisms in natural and synthetic systems, particularly photosynthesis and catalytic water oxidation, alongside neurobiological studies of metal ion roles in brain function. She leads a lab employing advanced spectroscopic techniques like X-ray emission and EPR to study metalloprotein assemblies and catalytic intermediates.

Key research areas include: 1) artificial photosynthesis using MOFs and ruthenium-based catalysts for solar fuel production; 2) mechanisms of O-O bond formation in Photosystem II; 3) neurodegenerative disease studies via X-ray imaging of metal accumulations in brain tissues. She has pioneered methods like DIY XES analyzers and high-resolution X-ray fluorescence microscopy.

Her work has been recognized with awards including the NSF CAREER Award (2014), Kavli Fellowship (2015), and Purdue College of Science Research Award (2016). She actively collaborates with institutions like ETH Zurich and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and serves on editorial and review boards for major journals. Her lab welcomes motivated graduate students to join research in energy materials and neurobiological metallomics.