Principal Investigator
James M. Hodges
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
The Pennsylvania State University
Contact
Email: hodges@psu.edu
Jim is a materials chemist with a background in exploratory synthesis and thermoelectrics. After earning a Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn State and postdoctoral studies at Northwestern, he developed new materials for catalysis and adsorbent technologies at Honeywell UOP.
Education and Training
R&D Scientist - New Materials Group, Honeywell UOP (2019-2021)
Postdoctoral Fellow - Northwestern University (2016-2019)
Advisor: Mercouri G. Kanatzidis
Ph.D. Chemistry - The Pennsylvania State University (2012-2016)
Advisor: Raymond E. Schaak
B.S. Chemistry - Rider University (2008-2012)
Graduate Students
Ayat Tassanov
joined 2021
BS, Chemistry, 2021
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
Aqtobe, Kazakhstan
Cooking, fishing, gaming, hiking, being a dad
Exploratory Synthesis, Multianion Materials, Chalcogenides, Thermoelectrics, Magnetic Systems
akt5745 at psu dot edu
Brendan Troesch
joined 2021
BA, Chemistry, German, 2021
Washington & Jefferson College
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Porous Oxides, Thermal Catalysis, Polyoxometalates
bqt5271 at psu dot edu
Pedro R. Trinidad-Pérez
joined 2022
BS, Chemistry, 2022
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Woodworking, Metalworking, 3D Printing, Making Things
Exploratory Synthesis, Chalcogenides, Thermoelectrics, Silicates
prt5096 at psu dot edu
Daniel Spainhouer
joined 2022
BS, Chemistry, 2022
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
Exploratory Synthesis, Chalcohalides
dws6003 at psu dot edu
Alex Leffel
joined 2022
BS, Chemistry, 2022
Iowa State University
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Coffee, Videogames, Reality TV, cat
Exploratory Synthesis, Chalcogenides, Magnetic Systems, Topochemical Chemistry
apl5868 at psu dot edu
Sonali Thanthrige
joined 2023
BS, Chemistry, 2020
University of Jayewardenepura
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Reading, Traveling, Cooking, Trying out new restaurants
Porous Oxides, Polyoxometalates
kbt5408 at psu dot edu
Laine Brotherton
joined 2024
BS, Chemistry, 2024
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Porous Oxides, Polyoxometalates
lcb5577 at psu dot edu
Azamat Yessengazin
joined 2024
BS, Chemistry, 2024
Nazarbayev University
Astana, Kazakhstan
Chalcogenides, Oxychalcogenides
azy5231 at psu dot edu
Keela Zambra
joined 2025
BS, Chemistry, 2025
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Chalcogenides
kkz5242 at psu dot edu
Shibartha Dutta
joined 2025
M.Sc., Chemistry, 2025
ITT - Kharagpur
B.Sc., Chemistry, 2023
RKMRC, Narendrapur
Chalcogenides, Crystal Growth
smd7390 at psu dot edu
The Wooden Duck
joined 2021
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Safe guard the mints in the group room.
woodenduck at psu dot edu
Undergraduate Students
Matias S. Moreno
joined 2025
Penn State Millennium Scholar
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Expected Graduation: Spring 2027
Chalcogenides, Thermoelectrics
Group Presentations
Group Accomplishments
-
2025
-
Brendan gives poster presentation at ACS National Fall Meeting, Chicago, IL. August, 2025.
-
Pedro gives poster presentation at ACS National Fall Meeting, Chicago, IL. August, 2025.
-
Ayat Tassanov represents Penn State at 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting dedicated to Chemistry with 35 Noble Laureates. July, 2025.
-
Ayat Tassanov attends North American Solid-State Chemistry Conference, Ames, IA. June 2025. Awarded 1st place in poster competetion!
-
-
2024
-
Pedro Trinidad is awarded the Second Year Graduate Student Award for his outstanding academic and achievements. July, 2024.
-
Pedro Trinidad is awarded the 2024 NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship Award. May, 2024.
-
Pedro Trinidad is selected for the ACS Lasting Encounters between Aspiring and Distinguished Scientists (LEADS) Conference. May, 2024.
-
Pedro Trinidad is awarded the 2024 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship Award. April, 2024.
-
Alex Leffel is awarded the 2023 Chemistry Graduate Student Teaching Award. April, 2024.
-
Ayat Tassanov is awarded first place in Penn State's 39th annual Graduate Exhibition. April, 2024.
-
Pedro Trinidad is awarded the 2024 National GEM Consortium Graduate Fellowship. March, 2024.
-
Jim is chair of Solid State subdivision on ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry. January, 2024.
-
-
2023
-
Ayat Tassanov is awarded the Dalalian Fund Travel Award for presenting his research at MRS 2023. November, 2023.
-
Ayat Tassanov is awarded the Second Year Graduate Student Award for his outstanding achievements. August, 2023.
-
Jim is chair elect of Solid State subdivision on ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry. January, 2023.
-
-
2022
-
Pedro Trinidad is awarded the First Year Graduate Student Award for his outstanding academic and achievements. November, 2022.
-
Alumni
Former Postdoctoral Research Associates
-
Dr. Daniel G. Chica - Lab Member 2025; Currently: Research Scientist, Materials Synthesis at Periodic Labs
Former Graduate Students
-
Coming Soon!
Former Undergraduate Students
-
Nathan Baumann, joined 2023
-
Paige Grice, joined 2023
-
Matthew Sedgwick, joined 2024; Currently: PhD Student, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign