I am an anthropologically trained archaeologist with a research focus on the relationships between humans, non-human animals, and the environment. I am particularly interested in the origins of the food we eat, and the evolution of urban food provisioning systems. My research program features fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and an integrative approach to big data and sharing digital data. My background at the intersection of humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences allows me to understand and support undergraduate education across the continuum of academic disciplines. As a student of life and infinitely curious Homo sapiens, I often wear multiple hats and strive to integrate multiple perspectives in everything I do.
Brenna Renn
Dr. Renn is a clinical geropsychologist and mental health services researcher. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at UNLV and the Director/Principal Invesigator of the TREATment Lab (Translational Research on Effectiveness and Accessibility of Treatment in Mental and Behavioral Health). Our team is passionate about overcoming obstacles that prevent effective behavioral health treatments from reaching underserved communities. We specialize in the behavioral health of older adults and work across adult populations broadly. Areas of clinical research tend to focus on common mental health conditions (depression and anxiety) as well as cooccurring disorder. Our work engages patients, providers, and community stakeholders to focus on:
• Translational research, which moves scientific discoveries more quickly into practice to produce meaningful, applicable results to directly benefit mental and behavioral health.
• Effectiveness research, which identifies which clinical and public health interventions work best for improving behavioral health. We focus on evidence-based interventions for depression and health promotion.
• Accessibility of treatment, in order to overcome barriers to care and improve the receipt and utilization of evidence-based interventions. We focus on improving access through primary care behavioral health integration and leveraging digital tools, like apps.
Our lab develops future scientist-practitioners through mentored training of doctoral students in clinical psychology, as well as select opportunities for undergraduate or post-baccalaureate research assistants.
Dr. Renn has over 45 peer-reviewed publications and has written 10 book chapters spanning topics in depression, geriatric mental health, mental health services, and other topics related to behavioral aspects of health. She collaborates with colleagues across UNLV as well as at the University of Washington and the Southern Nevada VA Medical Center.
Carl Haster
I am an Assistant Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Nevada Center for Astrophysics at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Before this, I was a Postdoctoral Associate at the LIGO Laboratory and the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at MIT, a CITA Postdoctoral Fellow at Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics a PhD student at University of Birmingham and a MPhys student at University of Manchester.
My main research interests are all the exciting things we can learn about the extremes of our Universe through observations of Gravitational Waves (for example using the current LIGO, or future Cosmic Explorer, instruments). I am particularly interested in finding satisfactory robust connections between the observed population of compact objects, mainly black holes and neutron stars, and the astrophysical processes through which these objects are formed and evolve. I am also interested in exploring matter at its extremes, like what can be found in coalescing neutron star binaries, how this can be observed using as many astrophysical messengers as possible and help us find the best model for the Neutron Star Equation of State. Finally, I enjoy working on the inference methods used to analyse these gravitational wave signals, in order to improve their speed, fidelity and robustness. This will in turn be crucial for using these observations for precision tests of General Relativity as our preferred theory of gravitation, as otherwise it’s easy to confuse a claimed beyondGR detection caused by a not-accurate-enough analysis.
Dean Smith
As a career diamond anvil cell enthusiast, my research primarily concerns the pursuit of the new structures of materials and chemical compounds emergent under extreme pressures, as well as new methods to measure properties of samples exposed to extreme pressures and temperatures. I began my research in the UK, studying for a Ph.D. with Dr. John Proctor at the University of Salford, and moved to the US as a postdoctoral scholar at UNLV. From there, I spent two years working at HPCAT (Sector 16 of the Advanced Photon Source) – a group of synchrotron beamlines dedicated to the advancement of high-pressure experiments.
Much of my career has been spent developing and refining optical instruments for diamond anvil cell experiments, particularly instruments which interface with synchrotron beamlines. As a postdoc at UNLV, I helped to design and construct a mid-infrared laser heating instrument for experiments at the HPCAT diffraction beamline, facilitating laser-heated DAC experiments on materials spanning semiconductors, ceramics, covalent crystals, and minerals. However, I am a passionate proponent of in-house experiments, and hope to ensure that NEXCL laboratories generate data with the same pace and quality as the large-scale user facilities.
Craig Schwartz
We use X-ray sources around the world around the world to understand disordered materials, particularly at interfaces, using large international laser facilities such as those in Italy and Japan. This includes materials such as liquids to better understand fundamental phenomena like how evaporation occurs. It also includes solar cells where we try to make ever more efficient devices.
Chandrabali Bhattacharya
Dr. Bhattacharya received her Undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Chemistry from Presidency College Kolkata and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. She completed her Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry under the guidance of Dr. Sidney M. Hecht from Arizona State University, and her thesis work was mainly focused on the study of the role of the disaccharide moiety in tumor targeting of the anti-tumor agent antibiotic bleomycin (BLM). To further augment her foundation in glycoscience, Dr. Bhattacharya briefly worked with Dr. Linda Hsieh-Wilson at Caltech on understanding the role of the sulfation pattern of glycosaminoglycans in different cellular processes. Then she joined the laboratory of Dr. Daniel Anderson and Dr. Robert Langer at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, to complete her postdoctoral training as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Fellow. Her research interfaces the disciplines of bioengineering, drug delivery, and personalized medicine. At UNLV, She brings a new research area to the Chemistry Department – utilizing carbohydrates in targeting and diagnostics for solving critical high-impact problems associated with diseased biology.
Jared Bruce
Photochemistry is central to many aspects of energy conversion, atmospheric chemistry, corrosion, and catalysis. The ability to drive chemical reactions selectively and efficiently on surfaces with light remains a significant challenge, as these transformations are often dependent on the structure and chemical nature of the material surface. Furthermore, as more complex, multi-component materials are used in photochemical applications, robust model systems are needed to understand how synergistic properties impact these transformations.
The Bruce Group focuses on processes related to the conversion of light to drive chemical reactions at different interfaces. Our group are world experts in surface chemistry using ultrahigh vacuum, near ambient pressure, and operando spectroscopy/microscopy techniques. This, coupled with electrochemical and photoelectrochemical characterization, enables a unique insight into photochemical conversions at gas-liquid, liquid-solid, and solid-gas interfaces.
Jason Flatt
I have experience conducting research with diverse Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM) or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and another identity (LGBTQIA+) persons living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers. My research involving SGM older adults and caregivers has helped to enhance understanding of ADRD risk and disparities, long-term care and related healthcare needs, workforce challenges, and potential solutions. I am currently Co-PI (Anderson, Flatt, Wharton; NIA R24AG066599 ) on The RISE (Research Inclusion Supports Equity) Registry. This registry is the first effort to recruit, engage, and retain SGM older adults with ADRD and SGM ADRD caregivers. I am also lead PI of a new 5-year grant to develop more inclusive measures of caregiving for SGM older adults living with ADRD. I am also in the final year of my Career Award (NIA K01AG056669), “The Epidemiology of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Sexual and Gender Minority Older Adults: Identifying Risk and Protective Factors.” I also received the 2020 Early-Stage Investigator Award from the NIH Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office for this research. My research research has also been funded by American Federation for Aging Research, the Alzheimer’s Association, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Michael Pravica
I am a high pressure physicist who studies matter subjected to extreme conditions using spectroscopic means (infrared, Raman, x-ray absorption and nuclear magnetic resonance.).