Richards Research Group

Principal Investigator

 

Prof. Ryan Richards | rrichard@mines.edu

Ryan Richards is a Professor of Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines with a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory both in Golden, Colorado USA. Prof. Richards received his BS from Michigan State University, MS Central Michigan University and PhD from Kansas State University. During his Phd studies he was a visiting scientist at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis in Novosibirsk, Russia.  From 2000-2002 he was Max Planck Fellow at the MPI in Muelheim, Germany. In 2002 Ryan joined Jacobs University Bremen where he was promoted to associate professor before moving to Mines in 2007. The Richards group has made a broad range of contributions to the field of inorganic nanoscience in the areas of nanoparticle preparations (metal and metal oxides), in situ spectroscopy, and catalysis. Prof. Richards has published more than 150 papers, 7 patents and has served as editor/co-editor of 3 nanoscience books. He has been elected by his peers for numerous awards throughout his career including being selected as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and 2016 ACS Colorado Section Research Award.

Graduate Students

 

Raiven Balderas | raivenbalderas@mymail.mines.edu

 
Raiven is a Texan Native who obtained her ACS Certified B.S Degree in Chemistry Spring of 2019. 
While studying chemistry at the undergraduate level she also successfully completed two minors in Applied Mathematics and Statistics. 
During her undergraduate career, she was involved in research under the guidance of Dr. Yuanbing Mao and also completed an REU at Iowa State University under the supervision of Dr. Javier Vela. 
 
Immediately upon completion of her B.S degree she moved to Golden, Colorado Summer of 2019 to start her graduate research in the Applied Chemistry PhD Program. 
 
Raiven’s research interests heavily involves the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for various applications such as catalysis. 
She is currently working on unlocking unknown chemical/physical properties associated with formation mechanism, surface chemistry, structure activity and active sites, and stability of (111) faceted MgO nanocatalysts in various environments for biomass upgrading. 
 
On her free time, Raiven enjoys fashion, skateboarding, painting, writing poetry, horseback riding, and making music.

Breanne Hammett | bhammett@mymail.mines.edu

After completing a B.S. in Chemistry at Mines in 2019 I got sucked back in. I’m currently pursuing a Ph.D in Materials Science researching phase-engineered materials for potential application in neuromorphic computing. An undergraduate internship at NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, right down the road from Mines) in 2017 introduced me to researchers who I continue to work with today in addition to the faculty at Mines. In my free time (lol) I enjoy reading, hiking, and playing video games. My ultimate goal is a career in research, but I’m open to the various forms that may take and forks in the road that I may encounter along the way.

Liam Witteman | lwitteman@mymail.mines.edu

After graduating from University of Wisconsin – Madison with a BS in Chemical Engineering I decided to chase the mountains of Colorado. I initially moved to Golden in 2018 to work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory where I did modeling work on electrochemical devices such as PEM electrolyzers. After working for a year I decided to go back to graduate school in the Advanced Energy Systems program. My research in the Richards group currently centers around finding cheap catalyst alternatives for splitting water to produce hydrogen. In my free time I enjoy hiking, snowboarding, cooking, and generally exploring beautiful Colorado.

Visiting Students

 

Thomas Souchez | thomassouchez@mymail.mines.edu

 
I am from Bordeaux, which is located in the southwest of France. I obtained my Bachelor in Physic and Chemistry from the University of Bordeaux in 2019. Now, I am currently in a dual master program: in material science with School of mines for this year and the next year in Master of Physic and chemistry with the university of Bordeaux. I would like to become an engineer in the field of physics-chemistry and more particularly in materials. My current research involves Mechanistic studies of metal separations for recycling, notably gold.
Outside of school I enjoy traveling, CrossFit, hiking, and although I’m from France I am a HUGE Sandwich Subway fan

Undergraduate Students

Frank Schrama | frankschrama@mymail.mines.edu

 
I’m an International Student from the Netherlands doing an Undergraduate Degree in Chemistry at Mines. Colorado is the 6th place I’ve called my home, and I enjoy all the wonderful activities this place has to offer, both winter and summer. Working with Richard’s Research Group will be my first on-hands experience of actual research, on which I will be focusing on the viability and properties of MgO (111) for carbon-capture. So far my favorite chemistry course has been Inorganic or Physical chemistry, and my favorite element is Tin; why? Who knows?