Pioneering New Energy Research

When Meghan Sullivan first arrived at the University at Buffalo from her home base near Rochester, her goal was to heal patients. Instead, she may help heal the planet. 

“For most of my childhood, I wanted to be a medical doctor,” Sullivan says. “Coming to UB, I was a biomedical science major.” To her surprise, however, she was drawn to the challenges presented in chemistry.

“One of the things that appealed to me about being a medical doctor was the problem-solving aspect, like in the shows you see where all these [medical] mysteries get solved,” she says. “When I started taking different classes, I realized that chemistry lends itself more to that, especially since I got into research so early. I encountered problem after problem in the lab, which is exactly what I enjoyed solving or exploring.”

Because of her budding interest in chemistry, Sullivan asked to join the lab run by Timothy Cook, assistant professor of chemistry. Although she was just a first-year student, he recognized her potential. 

“I remember her coming up to me, very enthusiastic, very gung-ho and clearly passionate about chemistry,” Cook says. He could tell she was something special when he saw her performing column chromatography, a process of separating molecules that most students find difficult and tedious. “Not only was she running columns as a first-year, which is impressive, but she said it was fun!” 

Now a senior, Sullivan has continued to display her hard work and dedication since that first year when she officially changed her major. Indeed, they were key elements in her receiving the prestigious 2022 Barry Goldwater Scholarship Award, a national program established by Congress to recognize outstanding students who intend to pursue advanced degrees in mathematics, natural sciences or engineering

Today, Cook’s lab focuses its research on designing and making new materials for use in energy conversion. By synthesizing organic and inorganic complexes, members of the lab can create new molecular structures to capture, restore or use energy in environmentally friendly ways.

For her part, Sullivan works with metal-organic frameworks which, when combined with polymers, can help separate and capture CO2. “Environmentally, CO2 is a big problem,” Sullivan says, noting its role in climate change. “Factories release large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, so we want to make a material that will selectively grab the CO2 from the flue gas but let everything else go.”

“These materials have only been studied in the last decade or so,” Cook says, “and Meghan has actually pioneered new research in the field.” Sullivan’s innovative approach to developing new structures received national recognition when her research was published last year in the Journal of Coordination Chemistry.

Sullivan’s passion for chemistry extends beyond the lab. She has reinvigorated the UB Chem Club, a student chapter of the American Chemical Society. “I went to Dr. Cook with my idea of doing a research expo for undergrads and he suggested we restart the Chem Club. Now we have over 150 members,” Sullivan says. 

Sullivan credits her UB experience with helping her succeed. “Coming to an R1 institution [doctoral university with high research activity] was a really important decision for me,” she says. “The fact that I’ve had the opportunity to do high-impact research as an undergraduate is an opportunity you won’t get everywhere.” As a member of the Honors College, she has been able to take multiple graduate courses as an undergraduate and also participate in honors sections, where class sizes are small.

“On top of that, our chemistry department really is stellar,” she says. “I have so many mentors. Not only Dr. Cook, but also Drs. Steven Diver, Jim Atwood and David Watson, the chair of the department. All of them have been incredibly supportive.

“It’s a great environment of collaboration which has really modeled to me what chemistry should be, and has made me want to be part of that in the future.”

Her next step is graduate school, with the goal of a career as a research professor, following in the footsteps of her mentors. 

“I predict Meghan will be able to go to any program she wants to in the world,” Cook says.