WSU student named Seaborg Institute Research Fellow
Cody Cockreham, a PhD student in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, is one of 10 students nationwide to receive a 2020 G.T. Seaborg Institute Research Fellowship.
The fellowship provides support for Cockreham to conduct research at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for 10-12 weeks. He is studying actinide chemistry that deals with a group of 15 heavy f-block elements in the periodic table, relevant to nuclear energy.
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, he completed his undergraduate degree in chemical and materials engineering at New Mexico State University in 2017. He has worked the past two summers at LANL and currently has two first author publications. Advised by assistant professor Di Wu and LANL senior scientist Hongwu Xu, Cockreham has been conducting research in WSU’s Alexandra Navrotsky Institute for Experimental Thermodynamics.
“Di’s fast paced and energetic nature allows me to progress in my research as fast as I can go,” Cockreham said. “Ph.D.s are never without obstacles, but overall mine has been relatively smooth due to the support of my current lab groups and colleagues.”
The fellowship will allow Cockreham to continue his work in experimental thermodynamics and interface science. His research has a wide variety of engineering applications in energy technologies including in batteries, unconventional natural gas recovery and nuclear energy. Cockreham’s goal is to help advance cleaner energy technology in support of reducing climate change.
“Receiving the fellowship means that LANL has confidence in me as a researcher,” Cockreham said. “I am grateful for their support.”
The fellowship is sponsored by the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security and the G. T. Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science.
