Susan M. Kauzlarich

Susan M. Kauzlarich is an American chemist who researches and characterizes the synthesis and characterization of Zintl phases and nanoclusters with applications in the fields of thermoelectric materials, magnetic resonance imaging, energy storage, opto-electronics, and drug delivery.

Kauzlarich is a distinguished professor of chemistry at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Kauzlarich has published over 250 peer-reviewed publications and has been awarded several patents. In 2009, Kauzlarich received the annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, which is administered by the National Science Foundation to acknowledge faculty members who raise the membership of minorities, women and disabled students in the science and engineering fields.

Education, career, and service Kauzlarich received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the College of William & Mary in 1980. Although originally planning to become a high school chemistry teacher, her collegiate mentors encouraged her to pursue graduate studies in chemistry. She did her graduate studies with Bruce A. Averill at Michigan State University, receiving a chemistry PhD in 1985. Her graduate work research encompassed the synthesis, development, and study of low-dimensional conducting materials derived from the layered material FeOCl. Her characterization methods of these new materials included x-ray absorption spectroscopy and neutron diffraction. From 1985 to 1987, Kauzlarich was a postdoctoral fellow with John Corbett at Iowa State University where she explored the synthesis and bonding characteristics of novel extended condensed metal chain compounds built on [R66I12Z] (R=Ln, Y, Sc; Z=B,C,N, C2) clusters.

Kauzlarich joined the department of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis in 1987. She was promoted to associate professor in 1992, promoted to full professor in 1996, and in 2014, distinguished professor. She was the Maria Goeppert Mayer Distinguished Scholar at Argonne National Laboratory from 1997 to 1998, faculty assistant to the Dean of Mathematical and Physical Sciences from 2010 to 2013, and chair of the chemistry department from 2013 to 2016. She has been a member of the editorial advisory board for the handbook Physics and Chemistry of the Rare Earths since 2002. She was an associate editor for the Journal of Solid State Chemistry from 2000 to 2005,

Kauzlarich is an advocate for diversity in the chemistry community and is known for her personal commitment to mentorship. Throughout her career she has built and continues to support a pipeline of women and underrepresented students in the field of chemistry from high school through graduate study. During her career, Kauzlarich's mentorship strategies have expanded to support a culture shift in the community through discussions, workshops, and development of new initiatives. One of her initiatives has been the development of the American Chemical Society Summer Educational Experience for the Economically Disadvantaged Program (SEED) program which she established at UC Davis in 1988. For her mentorship of students, Kauzlarich was recognized by Barack Obama with the 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. At UC Davis, she serves as committee member for the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science, part of the UC Davis "ADVANCE" initiative. She is also an active member of the steering committees at UC Davis including the Women's Research and Resource Center and Women in Science and Engineering.

Research and notable publications Kauzlarich's research focuses on synthesis and characterization of novel solid state materials. Some of Kauzlarich's publications from her independent research career are listed below:

Kauzlarich has also been known for research on the preparation of colloidal nanoclusters and most particularly the preparation of challenging to access Group IV derivatives. These materials hold promise in the areas of biomedicine alongside, importantly, next-generation devices with novel optical and transport properties. Listed below are some of her research team's publications in this research area to-date:

Awards Kauzlarich has received numerous awards including: ACS AWARD IN INORGANIC CHEMISTRY (2022) AAAS Chair-Elect of the Section on Chemistry (2017) UC Davis Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring in Undergraduate Research (2017) Distinguished professor, UC Davis (2014) Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal (2013) Geoffrey Coates Lecture, University of Wyoming (2013) Patrick Lecture, Kansas State (2011) Iota Sigma Pi, National Honorary Member (2011) Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2009) Maria Goeppert Mayer Distinguished Scholar Award, Argonne National Laboratory (1997)