Christopher Cahill, professor of Chemistry and International Affairs at George Washington University, now on temporary assignment at the U.S. Department of State, will present “A Chemist’s Stint with Nuclear Forensics at the State Department” on Monday, March 7, at 6 p.m. in the Science Center’s Kelly Family Auditorium.
His presentation, intended for a general audience of scientists as well as those not scientifically inclined, will touch upon Dr. Cahill’s scientific interests and career trajectory since graduating from Fredonia in 1993 with a B.S. degree with majors in Geochemistry and Chemistry.
Cahill will also explore some of his current efforts at the Department of State, where he is a Foreign Affairs Officer assigned to the nuclear forensics team within the agency’s Office of Weapons and Mass Destruction Terrorism. Alternative career opportunities for science students will also be included in the talk that is free and open to the public.
An expert in solid-state and materials chemistry, Cahill joined George Washington University in 2000 after receiving a Ph.D. in Chemistry from SUNY Stony Brook and completing a one-year post-doctoral position at the University of Notre Dame. Cahill has a strong interest in nuclear materials and the intersection of science and technology policy.
He is currently on a one-year leave from George Washington University as the American Institute of Physics State Department Science Fellow. Cahill also maintains a joint appointment with George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, where he develops curricula targeting non-technical nuclear policy professionals.
Honors received by Cahill include the National Science Foundation Career Award (2004), a Bender Teaching Award (2005), a Fulbright Scholarship (2008) and the Trachtenberg Prize for Teaching (2013). He is a past president of the American Crystallographic Association, a member of the Cosmos Club and has held visiting researcher positions at the Carnegie Institution of Washington and Argonne National Laboratory.
Cahill has published over 100 peer reviewed papers in a wide range of areas related to the synthesis and structural characterization of materials and minerals.
