Postdoctoral Researcher
Chemistry
University of Vermont
Discovery Hall W315
82 University Place
Burlington, Vermont 05405
Email: Elyse.Kleist@uvm.edu
Phone: +1 (802) 656-0276
Education
B.Sc. Chemistry, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2013
Ph.D. Chemistry, Syracuse University, 2020
Research Interests
Elyse grew up in Pennsylvania and has always loved puzzles and logic. In high school she took Mrs. Piscioneri’s chemistry class, which convinced her to pursue chemistry at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, PA, where she worked with Prof. Justin Fair. After completing her undergraduate work, she moved to Syracuse, NY, to complete her PhD with Prof. Tim Korter at Syracuse University. There, she used solid-state DFT and low-frequency vibrational spectroscopy to characterize historical and modern pigments.
Elyse’s interests in physical chemistry grew after taking courses in two-dimensional and three-dimensional studio art. Three-dimensional design, with Steve Loar, allowed her to explore the relationships between structure and function. The class finished with a group project that constructed a coral reef out of materials sourced from trash and recycling, and sparked her drive to seek out research that not only advances our understanding of materials, but also utilizes this understanding to tackle difficult environmental challenges. Elyse has future goals of working towards increasing accessibility in chemistry, improving communication between the public and scientists, and fostering interdisciplinary/collaborative research.
As a member of the Ruggiero Group, Elyse gets to work on interdisciplinary research that spans chemistry, materials science, physics, environmental science, and heritage science. She is really interested in understanding the fundamental forces that drive the behaviors of materials and utilizing that work to address growing environmental/societal concerns across the world, specifically mine remediation and access to clean water and air. Her goal is for her research to not only advance science, but also benefit the world at large.
When Elyse isn’t working hard in the lab/office, she can be found exploring Burlington with her three adorable dogs – Remington, Maverick and Cu (Copper)!
Stay tuned for lots of exciting developments from Elyse!
