The Team
We are always open to adding new members to the team! Interested students and prospective graduate students should contact Dr. Krummel for more information. Interested in CSU Chemistry for graduate school? Click Here to Apply!
Amber Krummel, Ph.D
Principle Investigator
Joined CSU Chemistry: August 2010
Research: Most of my career has been spent using ultrafast lasers and optics to probe chemical and material systems. I love using multidimensional spectroscopy methods to uncover mechanisms and new applications for energy conversion and storage.
Kallol Mukherjee, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Researcher
Member Since: September 2022
Fun Fact: I grew up in West Bengal, India and I love playing cricket!
Research: I am investigating the structure and dynamics of potential battery electrolytes using 2DIR spectroscopy.
Brad Luther, Ph.D
Research Scientist
Research: Brad is our resident expert on all things lasers, optics, and spectroscopy. He helps will all of the projects going on in the Krummel group, as well as training and being a resource for graduate students seeking to glean some knowledge off of him.
Rachelle Austin
Ph.D Candidate, 5th year
Projected Graduation: April 2024
Fun Fact: In my free time I love to paddle board, play flute, and spend time with my dog and 2 cats!
Research: My research focuses on using ultrafast spectroscopy to study the charge carrier dynamics of semiconductor nano materials under photoelectrochemical conditions.
Luke Guerrieri
Ph.D Candidate, 6th year
Projected Graduation: Summer 2024
Research: My research uses highly sensitive vibrational probes to experimentally characterize vibrational energy transfer in the presence of strong system-bath coupling. In doing so, I aim to expand the toolbox with which nonsecular vibrational energy dynamics can be identified and characterized without prohibitive computational methods.
Sarah Hall
Ph.D Candidate, 3rd year
Research: I use 2DIR spectroscopy to study multiple green-energy oriented systems: carbonates, to understand the roles that individual components have in organic battery electrolyte mixtures, and photoredox catalysts, to characterize visible light activated catalysts on a vibrational level. I am also building a 2D white light spectrometer to add another dimension to our electronic spectroscopy capabilities.
Rochelle LaForest
Graduate Student, 1st year
Projected Graduation: Spring 2028
Fun Fact: I interned with the Buffalo Bills as part of my Animation degree.
Research: I am interested in renewability and sustainability, which has lead me to study the physical properties of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). I'm both a theoretical and experimental chemist!
Agustin Pineda
Graduate Student, 1st year
Projected Graduation: Spring 2028
Fun Fact: I spent most of the summer of '21 in L'viv, Ukraine.
Research: I am interested in using nonlinear electronic spectroscopies (2DES & Transient Absorption) to study the electronic structure and behavior of electrochemical materials and photocatalysts.
Devin Williams
Graduate Student, 1st year
Projected Graduation: Spring 2028
Fun Fact: I willingly jumped out of a plane and am currently training to run a marathon.
Research: I am looking into imaging a variety of samples using 2D IR microscopy to study the molecular dynamics of different compounds. I am passionate about having my project contribute to helping others or the environment in some way.
Carsten Mueller
Research Assistant
Projected Graduation: Spring 2028 (Undergraduate)
Fun Fact: I lived in Brazil for 6 months.
Research: I help with data collection and analysis, primarily using Fourier-Transform IR and Raman spectroscopy.
