River Samet Email & Phone Number

I believe in a computational research-focused future. Computation can dramatically diminish the costs, duration, and hazards of laboratory research–helpful for developing sustainable processes and producing necessary products efficiently in an increasingly polluted, overpopulated world. The rising value of computational research, as well as my fascination with both chemistry research and computer programming, have cemented my goal of becoming a computational chemist. Going to graduate school is my next step towards using computation to solve problems in organic, inorganic, or environmental chemistry–with the intention of reducing planetary pollution and improving human lives.I first discovered my interest in chemistry research in Dr. Eric McFarland’s laboratory at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) studying metal-catalyzed methane pyrolysis. Success didn’t come easily: I worked independently for eight months in order to obtain high-quality data, demonstrating the perseverance I bring to every research challenge I encounter.Afterwards, I interned in two other research laboratories: Reaction35, where I analyzed solutions’ physical properties, and Dr. Liming Zhang’s group at UCSB, where I synthesized organic catalysts. Gradually, I found that I enjoy studying chemistry theory and computation most, so last June I began conducting computational research investigating the bifurcation-like isomerization reactions of cyclobutylidene with UCSB Professor Emeritus Dr. Donald Aue. My fascination with this project stems from my passions for coding, theory, and discovering new reactivity. Recently, I presented a poster about our work to high-level researchers at the 2023 SoCalTheoChem Conference held at the University of California, Los Angeles.