CV

Education

2013  -  2019

University of Texas at Austin

Ph. D. in Chemistry (Inorganic)

Advisor: Professor Michael Rose

2009  -  2013

University of Notre Dame

B.S. in Chemistry, Minor in Medieval Studies

Advisor: Professor Slavi Sevov 

Skills

• Hydrogen related skills: Metal hydrides (interstitial and complex), hydride-infiltrated porous frameworks, air-free materials synthesis, glove-box and Schlenk line techniques, ball milling, Sieverts pressure-concentration-temperature measurements, kinetic desorptions and absorptions, hydrogen cycling, residual gas analysis, framework infiltration, high pressure absorptions, FTIR, powder XRD, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, XPS, DFT, thermal conductivity, DSC, Kissinger analysis, TGA.

• Other non-hydrogen related skills: air-free organic and organometallic synthesis, distillations, column chromatography, photocatalysis, mass spectrometry, SQUID magnetometry, fluorescence, thermoluminescence, single-crystal XRD, EDX/SEM, solid-state metathesis.

• Soft skills: mentoring, teaching, presenting, collaborating, lab leader, project leader, project team member, grant-writing, publishing journal articles, preparing quarterly reports.

• Software: Microsoft Office, IGOR, HyAnalysis, SmartLab, CrysalisPro, Mestrenova.

Research and Professional Experience

01/23  -  present

Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA

Postdoctoral Researcher for HyMARC (Hydrogen Materials Advanced Research Consortium)

• Synthesizing and characterizing novel hydrogen storage materials for use in renewable energy heavy duty vehicles and stationary energy applications. Focusing on metal hydrides, including 2LiH2:1Mg(NH2)2 (Project Lead), interstitial metal hydrides (Project Lead), and AlH3-infiltrated COFs (Team Member).

• Performing Pressure-Concentration-Temperature (PCT) measurements to determine kinetics and thermodynamics of materials while reversibly absorbing and desorbing hydrogen (Project Lead).

• Improving the thermal conductivity of hydrogen storage materials to assist in the heat dissipation that is needed to operate a hydrogen fuel cell (Project Lead).

• Presenting and publishing research at ACS conferences while similarly partnering with venture capitalist firms and universities to expand the scope of the HyMARC research.

06/20  -  12/22

Texas State University, San Marcos, TX

Postdoctoral Researcher with Drs. Todd Hudnall and Dave Schilter 

• Synthesized air- and moisture-sensitive diborylcarbene ligands and precursors to capture the elusive p-π singlet carbene. Developed an array of synthetic routes and complexes with unique backbones to further pursue these long sought-after molecules (Project Lead).

• Performed photocatalytic Buchner ring expansions and C-H activation reactions involving diamidocarbenes and a wide variety of substrates (Team Member).

• Synthesized nickel-tetramine complexes and analyzed their fragmentation patterns via HRMS for use in hydrogenation biomimetic reactions (Project Lead).

• Ran the lab during COVID-19 restrictions, namely maintained equipment, inventory, and installed safe practices that enabled efficient research while minimizing the spread of the coronavirus.

• Mentored undergraduates and young graduate students to continue with their projects and educated them on proper techniques used in organic and inorganic synthetic chemistry.

07/13  -  05/20

University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Postdoctoral Researcher with Dr. Michael Rose

• Synthesized, characterized, and purified new organoantimony ligands and metal complexes with 3d transition metals (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) to afford novel complexes with enhanced spectroscopic and catalytic properties that could behave like late-row transition metals (Project Lead).

• Developed new Ni-Sb complexes which performed electroless deposition of pure thin-film Ni/Cu alloy onto silicon wafers. Surfaces were characterized by SEM and pXRD to explore new deposition techniques and Lewis acid properties of antimony-metal complexes (Project Lead).

• Synthesized and crystallized Cu-Sb luminescent clusters that displayed tunable near-IR phosphorescent emissions (λem range = 500 – 710 nm) for potential applications in NIR biomedical imaging or OLEDs (Project Lead).

• Investigated enhanced magnetic properties in Co-Sb tetrahedral monomeric and dimeric complexes using SQUID magnetometry. Identified increased axial zero-field-splitting (D) and investigated the contributing effects of spin-orbit-coupling and molecular geometry in the complexes with respect to high D values (Project Lead).

• Mentored and trained several undergraduate students in inorganic synthesis and air-free techniques, as well as the characterization and purification of air sensitive metal complexes.

05/12  -  08/12

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

REU-sponsored Undergraduate Student Researcher with Dr. Edward Gillan

• Synthesized transition-metal-doped TiO2 materials using rapid solid-state metathesis for use in photocatalytic water purification processes (Team Member).

08/11  -  06/13

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN

Undergraduate Student Researcher with Dr. Slavi Sevov

• Functionalized Ge9 Zintl clusters in non-protic solvents to advance the field of germanium cluster reactivity and investigate new possible semiconductor materials (Team Member).

Publications

“Decoding the Desorption Mechanism of 2LiH:1Mg(NH2)2 using Metal Borohydrides” Taylor, W.V., Klebanoff, L.E., Ray, K.G., Li, S., Zhou, Z., Kim, M., Dun, C., Johnson, A.C., Marple, M.A.T., El Gabaly, F., Urban, J.J., Guo, J., Wood, B.C., Stavila, V., Allendorf, M.A. ACS Appl. Ener. Mater., 2025, Submitted.

“Photochemical Reactions of a Diamidocarbene: Cyclopropenation of Bromonapthalene, Addition to Pyridine, and Activation of sp3 C-H Bonds” Taylor, W.V., Perera, T.A., Gildner, M.B., Reinheimer, E.W., Yost, S.R., Hudnall, T.H. Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 7867-7874.

“Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Antimony-Ligated Co(II) Complexes: Stibines versus Phosphines” Taylor, W.V., Cashman, B.C., Xie, Z.L., Ngo, K.K., Rose, M.J. Inorg. Chem., 2022, 61, 6733-6741.

“Thermoluminescent Antimony-Supported Copper-Iodo Cuboids: Exclusive Access to NIR Emission via High Crystallographic Symmetry” Taylor, W.V., Cammack, C.X., Shubert, S.A., Rose, M.J. Inorg. Chem., 2019, 58, 16330-16345. ACS Editor’s Choice, Cover Art December 2019.

“Syntheses, Structures and Characterization of Nickel(II) Stibines: Steric and Electronic Rationale For Metal Deposition” Taylor, W.V., Xie, Z., Cool, N.C., Shubert, S.A., Rose, M.J., Inorg. Chem., 2018, 57, 10364-10374.

“Antimony-Supported Cu4I4 Cuboid with Short Cu-Cu Bonds: Structural Basis for Far-Visible/NIR Thermoluminescence” Taylor, W.V., Soto, U.H., Rose, M.J. Inorg. Chem., 2016, 55, 3206-3208.

Presentations

“Effects of Alkali Borohydride Addition to the 2LiH:1Mg(NH2)2 Hydrogen Storage System” Taylor, W.V. Oral Presentation, ACS National Meeting, Denver, CO; August 2024.

“Exploring the Effects of Alkali-Metal Borohydride Doping into the 2LiNH2:1MgH2 Hydrogen Storage System” Taylor, W.V. Oral Presentation, ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA; August 2023.

“Expanding Novel Reaction Pathways in gem-Diborylalkanes” Taylor, W.V. Oral Presentation, ACS Southwest Regional Meeting, Austin, TX; November 2021.

“Antimony Supported Cu(I) Cubanes: Tunable Thermoluminescence via Steric and Electronic Effects” Taylor, W.V. Oral Presentation, ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA; March 2018.

 “Ligation of Tri-Alkyl Antimony to Open and Closed Shell First Row Transition Metals: Copper Luminescence and Novel Complexes of Cobalt and Nickel” Taylor, W.V., Soto, U.H., Bolster, K.M., Rose, M.J., Poster Presentation, ACS National Meeting, San Diego, CA; March 2016.

Teaching Experience

08/17  -  12/19

Lecture/Laboratory TA and Instructor, Scientific Inquiry Across the Disciplines 

• Oversaw personalized experiments for over one hundred freshmen students, including groups of TIP (Texas Interdisciplinary Program) scholars. Aided students in designing, troubleshooting, and successfully completing three independent experiments and a detailed research proposal over a four-month period. 

• Served as head lab instructor during the Fall 2019 semester for a group of 100 TIP scholars. On top of normal TA duties, also developed and led lab lectures and activities, monitored student participation, and ensured timely and comprehensive completion of experiments each month. Delegated more work to undergraduate teaching assistants and took on more responsibility as lab instructor.

• Worked with and mentored six upperclassmen undergraduate teaching assistants. Ensured they were prepared each week to deal with students’ issues and taught them how to best deal with issues in the lab. Coordinated grades and grading with them to ensure a timely turnaround for graded lab reports.

• Assisted students outside of normal lab time in more time-consuming experiments, such as x-ray diffraction and fluorimetry. Obtained necessary equipment and resources that were lacking in the teaching lab. Advised students on which freshmen research labs to apply for and wrote recommendation letters for admirable students who were seeking lab and teaching positions in the following semesters.

01/16  -  05/18

Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Advanced Inorganic Lab 

• Sole TA for a class of 12-18 upperclassmen chemistry majors. Held major non-traditional TA responsibilities including ordering chemicals, keeping the lab stocked, and maintaining the lab equipment (potentiostat, glovebox, UV/vis, IR spectrometers, etc.) on top of typical lab TA duties (grading, lectures, performing good lab practices, etc.).

• Instructed students in the advanced techniques required for successful inorganic chemistry including Schlenk line techniques, canula transfers, freeze-pump-thaw, and glovebox usage.

• Aided students in choosing, planning, and performing unique 4-week long experiments ranging from nanoparticle synthesis to nickel catalysis to MRI imaging ligands. Ensured each group had a concrete plan for each week and networked with other graduate students in the department to allow each group to perform any measurements outside the scope of normal lab equipment (x-ray crystallography, 19F NMR, etc.).

08/14  -  05/20

Lecture Teaching Assistant, General Chemistry 1  

• Assisted the professor in class of >300 students with dispensing homework/quizzes and managing the online class forum.

• Held office hours twice a week leading discussions, breaking down confusing subjects, and working through homework problems. Held a large-scale test prep discussion before each exam.

• Proctored three exams and a final; swiftly graded the exams and posted results the same day as the exam.

08/13  -  07/15

Laboratory Teaching Assistant, General Chemistry Lab 

• Oversaw two labs of 20 students for 10 lab sessions and assisted students with experiments and comprehending the science behind each experiment.

• Held office hours once a week for all students in the ~1000-person class. Led discussions and problem solving for 20-25 students each session.

• Punctually graded ~40 lab reports each week. Attended weekly TA meetings to better understand how to teach and manage each week’s experiment.

Dissertation

Exploring the Interaction of Antimony Ligands with Late 3d Transition Metals: Enhancements in Metal Deposition, Magnetism, and Luminescence through Heavy Atom Ligation.

Synopsis: I investigated the role of translational spin-orbit-coupling in complexes with heavy main group donor atoms and light, inexpensive late 3d transition metals. A variety of mono- and multi-dentate antimony ligands were synthesized and characterized. The ligands were metallated onto late 3d transition metals to afford several novel structures of nickel, cobalt, and copper complexes with antimony ligands. The nickel complexes performed electroless deposition of a Cu/Ni alloy onto the surface of Cu|Si substrates. The surfaces were probed and characterized with SEM, EDX, XRD, and ICP-OES. Copper-antimony cuboid clusters were synthesized via solution-phase organometallic coordination chemistry and exhibited thermoluminescent properties whose near-IR emissions were modulated by the combination of steric encumbrance of the ligands as well as the overall symmetry in the cluster core. The cobalt complexes show enhanced magnetic properties versus the phosphine analogues analyzed via variable-temperature and variable-field SQUID magnetometry. We investigated whether these phenomena originated from the higher degree of spin-orbit-coupling on the metal center donated from the antimony ligands or the unique geometric effects imposed on the system through the Sb-ligand coordination. This work has greatly advanced the knowledge and accessibility of antimony in ligand designs for several important fields of chemistry, including NIR luminescence, metal deposition for semiconductor fabrication, molecular magnetism, and catalysis.

Awards and Honors

12/18

Graduate School Dissertation Writing Fellowship

• Awarded for outstanding graduate students in the final year in the program at the University of Texas at Austin.

05/18

Henze Teaching Award

• Awarded for exemplary performance as a Teaching Assistant for the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin.

05/12

National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU)

• Awarded national fellowship through University of Iowa Nanoscience and Nanotechnology research division.

08/08

Eagle Scout Award

Professional Development

12/17

Teaching Certificate in First-Year Interdisciplinary Studies

• Through the University of Texas at Austin’s Signature Course Teaching Assistant Program.

Outreach and Service

04/23  -  present

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area

Big Brother and Ambassador

• Youth mentoring program with the hope to inspire children and help them reach their potential while creating a lasting and impactful relationship with a caring adult.

• Meet 2-4 times a month with my little brother, doing fun activities such as basketball, grabbing food, and attending local sports games.

• As an ambassador, I help raise awareness for BBBSBA and recruit more bigs and littles to the program. Table at local events and hang fliers at local businesses and public spaces.

01/14  -  05/18

H2fromH2O

Graduate Volunteer

• Outreach program to educate students in grades K-12 about renewable energy.

• Performed water splitting experiments and hydrogen balloon demos at UT events and in local schools in the Austin area, as well as educated the students on the future of energy.

01/15  -  01/16

Council of Graduate Chemists

Treasurer

• Balanced the budget of $1000, raised funds through university grants and managed the finances for the events run by the council.

• Performed science shows involving elephant toothpaste, invisible ink, and iodine clock for elementary school students at both UT and The Thinkery, a local children’s museum.

References

Dr. Mark Allendorf, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist and Co-Director of HyMARC

Sandia National Laboratories

7011 East Ave

Livermore, CA, 94551

925-294-2895

mdallen@sandia.gov

Dr. Vitalie Stavila, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Sandia National Laboratories

7011 East Ave

Livermore, CA, 94551

925-294-3059

vnstavi@sandia.gov

Professor Michael Rose, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Chemistry

The University of Texas at Austin

2506 Speedway, Stop A5300
Austin, TX, 78712-1224

512-471-4456

mrose@cm.utexas.edu

Professor Todd Hudnall, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Chemistry

Baylor University

Baylor Sciences Building C. 221

101 Bagby Ave, Waco, TX, 76706

512-245-4443

Todd_Hudnall@baylor.edu