Grant Johnson

About Grant Johnson

Dr. Grant E. Johnson is a scientist and the lead of the Chemical Physics and Separations Team. He co-leads the Separation Science program, which focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of structure-function relationships to support the design and synthesis of tailored materials for improved separations. He also co-leads a Microelectronics Science Research Center project to develop novel molecular memristors for energy-efficient, resilient neuromorphic computing. He leads PNNL\'s Non-Equilibrium Transport-Driven Separations Initiative, which seeks to achieve field-driven ion transport, nucleation, and precipitation to efficiently and selectively separate critical materials from unconventional feedstocks. He was a member of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research Battery Innovation Hub and has interests in developing molecular qubits for quantum information systems and in atomically precise metal clusters for energy-efficient, selective catalytic reactions. Additionally, Grant is interested in microdroplets as unique reaction environments for efficient and selective chemical transformations. Grant received his BS in chemistry in 2002 from the University of Delaware, where he studied ion solvation in supercritical fluids under the supervision of Professor Robert H. Wood. He was employed as an analytical chemist with the United States Army at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland from 2002 to 2004. He received his PhD in chemistry in 2009 from the Pennsylvania State University, where he studied cluster reactivity under Professor A.W. Castleman, Jr. Grant was awarded a National Science Foundation Central Europe Summer Research Institute fellowship in 2006 to study cluster reactivity using theoretical calculations with Professor Vlasta Bonacic-Koutecky at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. He also received a U.S. Department of Energy fellowship to attend the 2006 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry meeting in Lindau, Germany. Grant was awarded the inaugural Linus Pauling Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship at PNNL from 2010 to 2012, where he studied ion-surface interactions for energy applications under Professor Julia Laskin. In 2015, Grant was awarded the Ronald L. Brodzinski Award for Early Career Exceptional Achievement at PNNL. In 2024, he was elected a Fellow of the American Society for the Advancement of Science

Experience

1. Scientist 4 - Team Lead for Chemical Physics and Separations

   Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

   Aug 2015 — Present · Richland, WA, US

   Initiated and renewed a $2M 3-year Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (DOE-BES) funded program aimed at developing a predictive understanding of how molecular interactions at complex interfaces may be exploited to promote highly-efficient and selective separation of critical minerals. Distinguishing one-of-a-kind capabilities enable precise control over the nature of matter to prepare extremely well-defined model systems consisting of graphene oxide laminate adsorbents and membranes with precisely-sized interlayer transport channels and functionalized electrodes with selected redox-active species and hydrophobic ionic liquid domains. Novel in situ characterization techniques provide molecular-level insight into the properties and behavior of well-defined materials at conditions relevant to real world separations.Led a $150K Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) funded program focused on understanding the role of surface and intermolecular interactions on the vibrational properties of magnetically-doped polyoxometalates which determine their suitability as molecular qubits for quantum computing. Distinguishing ion soft landing and spectroscopy capabilities allow the influence of elemental doping and surface interactions to be investigated with unprecedented “atom-by-atom” resolution.Directed a $135K LDRD funded program aimed at developing ion soft landing as a highly-controlled sample preparation method for cryo-electron microscopy. Mass spectrometry capabilities allow mass-selection of large multiply-charged protein assemblies from complex mixtures and deposition at high coverage onto microscopy grids for detailed structural characterization.Contributed to a $80K Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) funded task focused on using ion soft landing combined with in situ spectroelectrochemistry to understand the interactions of isolated battery components with electrode surfaces.

Education

• University of Delaware

  Bachelor's degree, Chemistry

  1998 — 2002

• Penn State University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Chemistry

  2004 — 2009

Skills

• Analytical Chemistry
• Surface
• Separations
• Catalysis
• Nanoparticles
• Characterization
• Spectroscopy
• Electrochemistry
• Chemistry
• Powder X-Ray Diffraction
• Scanning Electron Microscopy
• Surface Chemistry
• Experimentation
• Membranes
• Uv/Vis
• Ftir
• Physical Chemistry
• Afm
• Mass Spectrometry