Grp photo 2025 Fall

Our research focus can be summarized as analytical surface-science. Nearly all of our research is based on measurements of chemical interactions with surfaces, and most of our instrumentation is specifically designed to examine interfacial phenomena. If you've ever wondered why oil spreading on water looks like a rainbow, why you can only make sand castles with wet sand, or how Rain-X® keeps your windshield so clean, you might be interested in our work. We use precice measurements of chemical behaviors to create new, fundamental understanding of these types of questions to address important challenges in environmental remediation, materials development, and energy science. 

Detailed descriptions of our research projects and some laboratory pictures can be found within this website.  If you have questions, feel free to send us an email or arrange a visit to our lab.  Follow us on Twitter @shawschem (group) or @shawchem (Prof Shaw)

Research for All

The Shaw group accepts that scientific advancement suffers without participation from all varied communities. We proactively engage all people regardless of status or ability. We acknowledge institutional challenges within the sciences, both for and against, certain groups of people. To counter this and provide clearer pathways to success, we work to create an inviting and enjoyable environment to do, and share, good science for all. Through formal training and informal interactions, we continuously strive to improve ourselves while advocating for each others’ success. We hope our efforts will support positive changes within our field.

 

Event and news feeds

Departmental Events

Physical & Environmental Chemistry Seminar- Professor Steven Pellizzeri of Eastern Illinois University

Monday, March 30, 2026 12:30pm
Chemistry Building

"Unraveling PFOA Pyrolysis: From Nanoreactor Simulations to Microkinetic Reaction Networks"

Final Thesis Defense- Ashanthi Kumari Katuwana Arachchige (Carter Group)

Monday, March 30, 2026 1:00pm
Chemistry Building

"Linker Design for f-Element Hybrid Materials Chemistry"

Final Thesis Defense- Charles Ezekiel (MacGillivray/Tivanski Groups)

Monday, March 30, 2026 2:00pm
Virtual

"CRYSTAL ENGINEERING APPROACH FOR SOLID DECOLORIZATION, MULTICOMPONENT MILLING, PHARMACEUTICAL COCRYSTALS AND HALO-PYRIMIDINE CYCLOBUTANE DERIVATIVES AS ANTIANDROGENS"

College of Pharmacy PSET Seminar Series: Yuan Zhang, PhD promotional image

College of Pharmacy PSET Seminar Series: Yuan Zhang, PhD

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 11:30am
College of Pharmacy Building

The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics (PSET) in the College of Pharmacy will host a seminar presented by: 

Yuan Zhang, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa

All are welcome to attend. No pre-registration required.

Final Thesis Defense- Harindu Rajapaksha (Forbes/Mason Groups)

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 3:00pm
Chemistry Building
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University Professional Development Events

Beyond ESG: How Environmental Governance Actually Works Inside Companies promotional image

Beyond ESG: How Environmental Governance Actually Works Inside Companies

Monday, March 30, 2026 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Boyd Law Building

Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, Vanderbilt Law School’s Private Climate Governance Lab, and the Tippie Social Impact Community for the fourth and final program in the Private Sector and the Planet series. We are pleased to welcome Jessica Frustere-Johnson, Director of Sustainability & CSR at Krause Group.

In her talk, “Beyond ESG: How Environmental Governance Actually Works Inside Companies,” Jessica will move beyond the public-facing conversation about Environmental, Social, and...

Spring Panel Series: AI Across the Disciplines promotional image

Spring Panel Series: AI Across the Disciplines

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Iowa Memorial Union (IMU)
An interdisciplinary panel on artificial intelligence featuring speakers from medicine, business, and philosophy.
Departmental Brown Bag: Woo-Tek Lee promotional image

Departmental Brown Bag: Woo-Tek Lee

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Psychological and Brain Sciences Building

Brown Bag events feature presentations by Psychological and Brain Sciences graduate students from the Cognitive and Behavioral Cognitive Neuroscience training areas.

Woo-Tek Lee is a Graduate Student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Woo-Tek is in the Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience training area and is a member of the Jiang Lab.

Title and abstract to come

Tippie College of Business Coffee Time, Graduate Programs for UIHC Employees promotional image

Tippie College of Business Coffee Time, Graduate Programs for UIHC Employees

Thursday, April 9, 2026 9:00am to 12:00pm
UI Hospital
Tabling event with free coffee and swag for all UIHC employees!
Protecting Water, Protecting Community: Short Films & Dialogue on Indigenous Land and Water Defense promotional image

Protecting Water, Protecting Community: Short Films & Dialogue on Indigenous Land and Water Defense

Thursday, April 9, 2026 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Iowa Memorial Union (IMU)

Join us for an evening of short films and community conversation exploring movements to protect water, land, and community.

The program will feature a curated selection of short films highlighting water protection movements in the Midwest, and beyond. Following the screenings, Dakota elder and historian Tim Mentz Sr. and Sikowis Nobiss, Cree-Saulteaux of the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan and the founder and executive director of the Great Plains Action Society, will participate in a...

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