University Letter

UND's faculty and staff newsletter

Jan. 23 Faculty Lecture features Alena Kubatova with ‘Chemical Analysis as CSI Investigation’

Alena Kubatova
Alena Kubatova

The next UND Faculty Lecture features Alena Kubatova, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, who will present “Chemical Analysis as CSI Investigation: From Biofuels to Atmospheric Particles.”

The 4:30 p.m. lecture will be preceded by a 4 p.m. reception in the Memorial Union Lecture Bowl.

A single chemical or even a single atom position can change a chemical from being benign and useful to a nasty toxin. This together with complexity of real samples often occurring as mixtures of hundreds if not thousands of individual components, add to the chemical challenge to identify them and predict their impacts. Atmospheric particles are key to cloud condensation, climate change and human health. When designing new biofuels as complex mixtures, we also need to understand the individual components to be able to assess their potential or predict impact on our life. But how do we go about it and how can we trust the data obtained?

Alena Kubatova

After receiving her Ph.D. degree in Analytical Chemistry from Charles University, Prague, Czechia, Dr. Kubatova pursued atmospheric research at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She has been with UND since 2000, first at the EERC, then at the Chemistry Department. Her research focuses on complex matrices targeting atmospheric particles such as the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Among multiple grants from funding agencies and companies, Dr. Kubatova received a prestigious NSF CAREER grant in 2008. She has also been involved in numerous projects targeting biofuels and renewable chemicals. Her research resulted in over 80 peer-reviewed publications and a prestigious UND Foundation Thomas J. Clifford Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Research. In 2018, Dr. Kubatova was named a UND Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor. Besides research, Kubatova is also deeply interested in promoting students’ motivation and success. Most recently she has led the Arts & Sciences effort and received an NSF-S-STEM funding for undergraduate scholarships in sciences.

This lecture is free and open to the public. Free parking is available south of Columbia Hall, across University Ave from the Memorial Union. UND.edu/provost/faculty-lecture-series.

Funding for the UND Faculty Lecture Series is provided by the Offices of the President and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.