Ken
Czerwinski
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Research Scientist,
Harry Reid Center
Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies
University of
Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 Maryland
Parkway, Box 454003
Las Vegas, Nevada
89154-4003
e-mail: czerwin2@unlv.nevada.edu
phone: (702) 895-0501
fax: (702) 895-3094
Professor Czerwinski is the director of the Radiochemistry Ph.D. program at UNLV. He is a researcher in the Nuclear Science and Technology Group at the Harry Reid Center and director of the of Actinide Research Group.
His teaching duties include:
CHEM 455 Instrumental Analysis (Spring 2004)
Education
University
of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. (nuclear
chemistry) 1992
Knox College, B.A. (Chemistry and Russian Language) 1987
Research Interests
Actinide chemical kinetics and thermodynamics
Incorporation of actinide speciation in environmental remediation
Development and evaluation of actinide separations
Research in actinide solid phases as waste forms or fuels
Spectroscopy of the actinide elements
Research Overview
The research program at UNLV is centered on understanding the chemical speciation of actinides. The results are thermodynamically and kinetically interpreted to facilitate speciation, transport modeling, and chemical behavior in separation processes. Determining the behavior and physical properties of relevant radionuclide species is performed to evaluate potential applications. Industrial and environmental systems containing radionuclides are examined. By understanding such systems, one can determine relevant species, study their behavior, verify laboratory results, test models, help focus efforts for further investigations, and incorporate the latest concepts into education. Current projects include speciation of actinides in spent fuel, chemical speciation of actinides in separations, and environmental behavior of actinides.
Additional Activities and Honors
ˇ Director of Radiochemistry Ph.D. program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
ˇ Committee Member, International Atomic Energy Agency, Minor Actinide Inert Fuel Matrices, May 2004-Present
ˇ Visiting Instructor on Actinide Chemistry, Department of Energy Radiochemistry Summer School, Brookhaven National Laboratory June 2004, July 2003, July 2002, July 2001
ˇ Visiting Professor, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, Nuclear Science Group, September 2003, June 2002, May-June 2001, June-July 2000
ˇ Reviewer, DOE Basic Energy Sciences Program in Actinide Chemistry and Separations, March 2003
ˇ Reviewer, DOE-EMSP Proposals in Actinide Chemistry, July 2004, March 2000
ˇ Reviewer, DOE-NABIR Proposals in Actinide Chemistry, May 2004
ˇ Session Organizer: Nuclear Waste Forms, American Chemical Society Spring Meeting, 2000
ˇ National Research Council, Committee Member, Selecting Long Term Research Plan for the Deactivation and Decommissioning of Department of Energy Sites, 2000
ˇ Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering, 2000
