Martina Lessio
Email: ml4132-at-columbia-dot-eduResearch Interests
- Computational chemistry and computational materials science applied to renewable energy technologies and sustainability
Education
- Ph.D. in Chemistry, Princeton University, United States, 2017 (Advisor: Dean Emily A. Carter)
- M.A. in Chemistry, Princeton University, United States, 2014
- Master Degree in Advanced Chemical Methodologies, Universitá degli Studi di Torino, Italy, 2012 (Advisor: Dr. Anna Maria Ferrari; Graduation mark: 110/110 cum laude)
- Bachelor Degree in Chemistry, Universitá degli Studi di Torino, Italy, 2010 (Advisor: Dr. Anna Maria Ferrari; Graduation mark: 110/110 cum laude)
Research and Work Experiences
- Lecturer and Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Columbia University, United States, 2017-Present
- Graduate Research Assistant in Dean Emily A. Carter's Research Group, Princeton University, United States, 2012-2017
- Collaboration with the Theoretical Chemistry Group, Universitá degli Studi di Torino, Italy, 2010-2012
Honors and Awards
- Columbia Science Fellowship, Columbia University, United States, 2017-Present
- Third Year Seminar Hubbell ’47 Prize, Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, United States, 2015
- Best Presentation Award, Tokyo Tech ACEEES Forum: 3rd International Education Forum on Environment and Energy Science, Perth, Australia, 2014
- Journal of Physical Chemistry Award for Outstanding Poster Presentation, American Conference on Theoretical Chemistry (ACTC) Telluride, United States, 2014
- Princeton Graduate Fellowship, Princeton University, United States, 2012-2013
- Edisu Tuition Waiver Scholarship, Universitá degli Studi di Torino, Italy, A.Y. 2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2010-2011
Publications
- On the Stability of Dititanate Nanotubes: A Density Functional Theory Study . J. Phys. Chem. C114, 21219-21225 (2010). ,
- Prediction of Electronic (Hyper)polarizabilities of Titania Nanotubes: A DFT Periodic Study . Comput. Mater. Sci. 280-286 (2013). ,
- Surface Properties of ZnS Nanoparticles: A Combined DFT and Experimental Study. J. Phys. Chem. C 118, 23853-23862 (2014). ,
- Cluster Models for Studying CO2 Reduction on Semiconductor Photoelectrodes. Top. Catal. 58, 46-56 (2015). ,
- Observation of Surface-Bound Negatively Charged Hydride and Hydroxide on GaP(110) in H2O Environments. J. Phys. Chem. C 119, 17762-17772 (2015). ,
- What Is the Role of Pyridinium in Pyridine-Catalyzed CO2 Reduction on p-GaP Photocathodes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137, 13248-13251 (2015). ,
- Orbital-Resolved Imaging of the Adsorbed State of Pyridine on GaP(110) Identifies Sites Susceptible to Nucleophilic Attack. J. Phys. Chem. C 119, 28917-28924 (2015). ,
- Cobalt (II) Oxide and Nickel (II) Oxide Alloys as Potential Intermediate-Band Semiconductors: A Theoretical Study. J. Appl. Phys. 119, 025102 (2016). ,
- Interaction of Pyridine and Water with the Reconstructed Surfaces of GaP(111) and CdTe(111) Photoelectrodes: Implications for CO2 Reduction. Chem. Mater. 28, 5799-5810 (2016). ,
- Is the Surface Playing a Role during Pyridine-Catalyzed CO2 Reduction on p-GaP Photoelectrodes?. ACS En. Lett. 1, 464-468 (2016). ,
- Stability of Surface Protons in Pyridine-Catalyzed CO2 Reduction at p-GaP Photoelectrodes. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 18, 26436-26443 (2016). ,
- Hydride Transfer at the GaP(110)/Solution Interface: Mechanistic Implications for CO2 Reduction Catalyzed by Pyridine. J. Phys. Chem. C 121, 17321–17331 (2017). ,
- The Role of Surface-Bound Dihydropyridine Analogs in Pyridine-Catalyzed CO2 Reduction over Semiconductor Photoelectrodes. ACS Cent. Sci. 3, 968–974 (2017). ,
- Kinetic and Mechanistic Effects of Bipyridine (bpy) Substituent, Labile Ligand, and Brønsted Acid on Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction by Re(bpy) Complexes. ACS Catal. 8, 2021-2029 (2018). ,
- Hydride Shuttle Formation and Reaction with CO2 on GaP(110). ChemSusChem 1, 1558-1566 (2018). ,
Teaching and Mentoring Experiences
- Lecturer in Discipline, Frontiers of Science Course, Columbia University, United States, 2017-Present
- Teaching Trancript Program, McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, Princeton University, United States, 2017
- Instructor for General Chemistry I (CHM 201) Weekly Review Sessions, Department of Chemistry and McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, Princeton University, United States, September 2016-January 2017
- Graduate Mentor and Study Group Mentor Facilitator, Freshman Scholars Institute, Princeton University, United States, June 2016-August 2016
- Teaching Assistant for General Chemistry II (CHM 202), Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, United States, January 2016-May 2016
- Independent Work Mentor and Writing Center Fellow, Princeton Writing Program, Princeton University, United States, September 2014-January 2016