Introducing: Briana Aguila-Ames, Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Dr. Aguila-Ames is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry in the Natural Sciences Division at New College of Florida. She received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of South Florida under the supervision of Prof. Shengqian Ma.

While at University of South Florida her research focused on the design and synthesis of functional porous materials for environmental sustainability applications, such as water purification and resource recovery, where she published 44 peer-reviewed research articles and 3 U.S. patents. While maintaining an interest in environmental issues, her research has shifted to the study of carbon mineralization as a permanent storage solution for anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions.

Dr. Aguila-Ames has been highlighted as an Emerging Investigator and was awarded the Outstanding Emerging Investigator Series Paper of 2023 by the journal Environmental Science: Nano for her work, Kinetics of Diopside Reactivity for Carbon Mineralization in Mafic–Ultramafic Rocks. With her research, Dr. Aguila-Ames is passionate about engaging undergraduate students in the lab and has mentored 5 undergraduate researchers, which have led to lab fellowships, presentation at regional and national conferences, and co-authorship on peer-reviewed publications.

She is excited to continue mentoring students at New College of Florida as she transitions to her role as Assistant Professor of Chemistry in Fall 2024. Dr. Aguila-Ames would be happy to discuss research opportunities in her lab for any students interested in chemistry, natural sciences, or environmental studies, and can be reached at [email protected].