Megan Lazorski

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Megan Lazorski

Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Bio

I am an educator and researcher in inorganic chemistry with a strong commitment to mentorship in STEM. I earned a B.A. with a double major in Chemistry and Studio Art from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, where I became fascinated with research on the interactions of light and matter. My undergraduate advisors allowed me to propose my own interdisciplinary research investigating photosensitive glass to develop photosensitive ceramic glazes. Along with the scientific research, I created a body of ceramic artwork that demonstrated how photosensitive glazes could enhance artistic expression. This project inspired me to attend graduate school and pursue my dream of becoming a professor.

After a year teaching science at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, Maine, I moved to CO to attend graduate school at Colorado State University (CSU). At CSU, I worked under Dr. C. Michael Elliott and graduated in 2013 with my Ph.D. in Chemistry. I then completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Phil Castellano at North Carolina State University (NCSU) followed by a visiting professorship at the W.M. Keck Science Department in Claremont, CA.

In 2017, I accepted a tenure-track position at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) and became the first official Joint Appointee at National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR - formerly National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL) in 2019. I began creating the blueprint for two Post-baccalaureate Bridge Programs in 2020 to provide new undergraduate research and internship opportunities for our students. I founded these programs with my colleagues and we accepted our first cohort of students into the American Chemical Society Post-baccalaureate Bridge Program (ACS-BP) in Fall 2024. I was also granted tenure in Fall 2024 and promoted to my current role as an Associate Professor.

Degree

PhD in Chemistry

Colorado State University

BA in Chemistry and Studio Art (Double Major)

College of Wooster

Published Works

  • Lazorski, M., Aguila, B., Cooley, J., Bork, M., Hurst, S., Stieber, C. (2022). Analyzing the Proposed Reaction Profile in “Changing the Charge: Electrostatic Effects in Pd-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling”. Virtual Inorganic Pedagogical Electronic Resource (VIPER), https://www.ionicviper.org/literature-discussion/analyzing-proposed-reaction-profile-changing-charge-electrostatic-effects-pd
  • Cooley, J., Hurst, S., Lazorski, M., Aguila, B., Bork, M., Stieber, C. (2022). 1FLO: Electron Counting and Electrostatic Effects in Palladium Carborane Complexes. Virtual Inorganic Pedagogical Electronic Resource (VIPER), https://www.ionicviper.org/problem-set/1flo-electron-counting-and-electrostatic-effects-palladium-carborane-complexes
  • Earley, J., Zieleniewska, A., Ripberger, H., Lazorski, M., Mast, Z., Sayre, H., Knowles, R., McCusker, J., Scholes, G., Reid, O., Rumbles, G. (2022). Ion Pair Reorganization Regulates Reactivity in Photoredox Catalysts. Nature Chemistry, 1446–753. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-022-00911-6.
  • Lazorski, M., Schapiro, I., Gaddie, S. R., Lehnig, P. A., Atanasov, M., Neese, F., Steiner, E. U. (2020). Spin-Chemical Effects on Intramolecular Photoinduced Charge Transfer Reactions in Bisphenanthroline Copper(I)-Viologen Dyad Assemblies. Chemical Science, 11511-5525. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0SC00830C.
  • Deng, F., Lazorski, M., Castellano, F. (2015). Photon Upconversion Sensitized by a Ru(II)-Pyrenyl Chromophore. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A , 3730140322. .
  • Mosca, L., Khnayzer, S. R., Lazorski, M., Danilov, O. E., Castellano, N. F., Anzenbacher, P. (2015). Sensing of 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 2, 4-Dinitrotoluene (2, 4-DNT) in the Solid State with Photoluminescent RuII and IrIII Complexes. Chemistry-A European Journal, 21(10), 4056--4064. .
  • Lazorski, M., Castellano, N. F. (2014). Advances in the light conversion properties of Cu (I)-based photosensitizers. Polyhedron, 827-70. .
  • Lehnig, P. A., Lazorski, M., Mingroni, M., Pacheco, A. K., Elliott, M. C. (2014). Oxidation of 2, 9-Diphenyl-1, 10-phenanthroline to Generate the 5, 6-Dione and Its Subsequent Alkylation Product. Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 468 -1471. .
  • Lazorski, M., Gest, H. R., Elliott, M. C. (2012). Photoinduced Multistep Charge Separation in a Heteroleptic Cu (I) Bis (phenanthroline)-Based Donor--Chromophore--Acceptor Triad. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134(42), 17466--17469. .

Research Interests

My research focuses on how light interacts with matter at the most fundamental level. In general, I am fascinated by the way molecules and complexes interact with light with respect to the following questions:

1. How are the molecular orbitals affected in this complex? (and WHY?)
2. How do the electrons move within or between different orbitals in the complex? Does the electron's spin change when it moves? (and WHY?)
3. What spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques can I use to probe these changes?
4. How can I use what I learned from these investigations to design optimal solar energy harvesting and conversion systems?

Specifically, my current research group focuses on the design and synthesis of inorganic and organic manganese complexes that exhibit uncommon electron transfer mechanisms or spin states upon interaction with light. The goal of our work is to understand how to manipulate these complexes so that the energy absorbed from the light is retained long enough to efficiently drive other chemical processes. We also seek to optimize the light-harvesting and photocatalytic properties of these complexes such that they compete with and/or outperform historical benchmarks based on rare, expensive metals.

Teaching Interests

General Chemistry
Inorganic and Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic Spectroscopy
Electrochemistry
Analytical Chemistry

Office Hours

Varies per semester