PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program

Program overview

Washington state is home to several research institutions, and Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are paving the way in clean energy, smart manufacturing, sustainability, and national security innovation. And they’re seeking fresh minds. Through the PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP), Ph.D. students will earn a stipend along with benefits, funded by their WSU and PNNL advisors, while working under a prestigious graduate committee on nationally relevant research. It is a unique opportunity to tap into the knowledge and world-class research infrastructure available at both institutions.

DGRP Students — DGRP students at the 2019 Cohort Announcement

DGRP students will work with faculty at WSU and scientists at PNNL while completing their graduate coursework and subsequently transfer to PNNL for the remaining years of their PhD program to gain hands-on research experience with PNNL scientists. Research opportunities include but are not limited to the following areas:

Radiochemistry
Electric power and Smart Grid
Biofuels, bio-products, and catalysis
Environmental, water and soil science and engineering
Current and past areas of research can be found here

The Four-Year Program* Includes:

Assistantship for financial support (salary, tuition waiver, benefits, support for mandatory fees) that is funded by a student’s WSU and PNNL advisors.
Oversight by graduate committee of nationally-recognized scientists
Collaboration with nationally recognized (and, in some cases, world-renowned) researchers
Access to world-class research infrastructure

Questions about the program? Contact DGRP@wsu.edu

*Additional support may be requested from advisors if Ph.D. program extends beyond four years. Funding does not come directly from the DGRP.

DGRP News Highlights

PNNL-WSU DGRP welcomes sixth cohort

DGRP student earns prestigious Society of Women Engineers scholarship

Richland researchers innovating to keep you cool for less in triple-digit temps

Students Spring into Science Careers

Recent DGRP Publications

Fall 2021

Essential Aspects of Solvent Effects and Solution Conditions upon the Modeling and Simulation of Lanthanide and Actinide Complexes – Co-Author: Nitesh Kumar, 2019 Cohort
Unexpected inverse correlations and cooperativity in ion-pair phase transfer – Chemical Science (RSC Publishing) – Co-Author: Nitesh Kumar, 2019 Cohort

Spring 2021

Discovery of potential pathways for biological conversion of poplar wood into lipids by co-fermentation of Rhodococci strains – Lead Author: Xiaolu Li, 2018 Cohort Co-Author: Zhangyang Xu, 2018 Cohort
Proteomic Approaches for Advancing the Understanding and Application of Oleaginous Bacteria for Bioconversion of Lignin to Lipids – Lead Author: Xiaolu Li, 2018 Cohort Co-Authors: Zhangyang Xu, 2018 Cohort, Austin Gluth, 2021 Cohort
Characterization of cellular oxidative stress response by stoichiometric redox proteomics – Co-Author: Xiaolu Li, 2018 Cohort
Transactive Implementation of Decentralized Electricity Market for Grid-Edge System – Lead Author: Monish Mukherjee, 2019 Cohort
Stereological analysis of triple line orientations – Lead Author: Benjamin Schuessler, 2018 Cohort
Enhancement of polyhydroxyalkanoate production by co-feeding lignin derivatives with glycerol in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 – Lead Author: Zhangyang Xu, 2018 Cohort

Fall 2020

Vertex Reordering for Real-World Graphs and Applications: An Empirical Evaluation – Lead Author: Reet Barik, 2020 Cohort
Activity‐Based Protein Profiling of Chitin Catabolism – Lead Author: Elias Zegeye, 2018 Cohort
Reaction heterogeneity in practical high-energy lithium–sulfur pouch cells – Co-Author: Shuo Feng, 2018 Cohort
Understanding the Deactivation of Ag−ZrO2/SiO2 Catalysts for the Single‐step Conversion of Ethanol to Butenes – Lin – 2021 – ChemCatChem – Wiley Online Library – Co-Author: Austin Winkelman, 2017 Cohort
The role of surface hydroxyls on the radiolysis of gibbsite and boehmite nanoplatelets – ScienceDirect – Co-Author: Austin Winkelman, 2017 Cohort

Summer 2020

Influence of Ag metal dispersion on the thermal conversion of ethanol to butadiene over Ag-ZrO2/SiO2 catalysts – ScienceDirect – Co-Author: Austin Winkelman, 2017 Cohort
Single-Step Conversion of Ethanol to n-Butene over Ag-ZrO2/SiO2 Catalysts | ACS Catalysis – Co-Author: Austin Winkelman, 2017 Cohort

Spring 2020

Triethanolamine-Mediated Covalent Adaptable Epoxy Network: Excellent Mechanical Properties, Fast Repairing, and Easy Recycling – Lead Author: Cheng Hao, 2018 Cohort
Ethanol as a Renewable Building Block for Fuels and Chemicals | Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (acs.org) – Co-Author: Austin Winkelman, 2017 Cohort
Competitive Interactions at Electrolyte/Octanol Interfaces: A Molecular Perspective | The Journal of Physical Chemistry C (acs.org) – Co-Author: Nitesh Kumar, 2019 Cohort

Summer 2019

Uranyl Speciation in the Presence of Specific Ion Gradients at the Electrolyte/Organic Interface: Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange: Vol 40, No 1-2 (tandfonline.com) – Co-Author: Nitesh Kumar, 2019 Cohort

Spring 2019

Direct Observation of the Orientational Anisotropy of Buried Hydroxyl Groups inside Muscovite Mica | Journal of the American Chemical Society (acs.org) – Co-Author: Austin Winkelman, 2017 Cohort