Amy Jystad

Amy is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on developing protocols to characterize metal-doped amorphous silica using computational chemistry. Although these catalysts are commonly used in industrial applications, the structures of the active sites are poorly understood due to the disordered silica support and cannot be measured experimentally. They hope to identify structural characteristics of active sites to aid the rational design of future catalysts. Early on in her graduate career, Amy realized that she did not want to pursue a career in academia, but found very few resources on campus to explore non-traditional options. She believes SEARCH is an excellent way for students to interact and learn from scientists that pursued alternative career paths.