UChicago Awards $419,000 to Argonne-University collaborators

Six pairs of University and Argonne National Laboratory researchers recently received $416,000, collectively, in Strategic Collaborative Initiative seed grants from the University for new and continued joint research projects.

The 2010 recipients include:

  • Title: Intermediates in the Combustion of Alternative Fuels
    University of Chicago Investigator: Laurie Butler, Professor, Chemistry
    Argonne Investigator: Stephen Pratt, Sr. Chemist and Group Leader, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division
  • Title: Elucidation and Control of Actinide Trafficking Pathways in Mammalian Cells
    University of Chicago Investigator: Chuan He, Associate Professor, Chemistry
    Argonne Investigator: Mark Jensen, Inorganic Chemist, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division
  • Title: Development of a Novel Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope Optical Support Structure for Ground-Based Gamma-Ray Astronomy
    University of Chicago Investigator: Simon Swordy, James Franck Professor, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Physics; Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
    Argonne Investigator: Karen Byrum, Physicist, High Energy Physics Division
  • Title: Structure Prediction of S. Aureus and Metagenome Proteins Using Large-Scale Computational Resources
    University of Chicago Investigator: Tobin Sosnick, Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Director, Institute for Biophysical Dynamics
    Argonne Investigator: Mike Wilde, Software Architect, Mathematics and Computer Science
  • Title: Development of Fast Direct-Imaging X-Ray Fluorescence Computed Tomography
    University of Chicago Investigator: Patrick La Riviere, Assistant Professor, Radiology; Committee on Medical Physics and the College
    Argonne Investigator: Francesco DeCarlo, Group Leader for the Imaging Group, X-ray Operations and Research in the X-ray Science Division
  • Title: Developing an Improved Climate Emulator for use in Energy Policy and Economic Analysis
    University of Chicago Investigator: Elisabeth Moyer, Assistant Professor, Geophysical Sciences (
    Argonne Investigator: Robert Jacob, Computational Climate Scientist, Mathematics and Computer Science Division

The Strategic Collaborative Initiatives Program began in 2006 when the University renewed its contract with the DOE to manage Argonne. The SCI program includes collaborative research projects, strategic joint appointments, and joint institutes. The University extended the program to Fermilab when it became co-manager of the lab in 2007.