Welcome Rachael Farber

The Chemistry Department Welcomes Rachael Farber

Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry

Rachael spent most of her childhood in Southeast Michigan and showed an early interest in both science and music. While applying to colleges, Rachael decided to pursue her interests in teaching and music and enrolled at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) as a dual Music Education and Art History major. During her second semester at CWRU, she realized she missed the Sciences being a central part of her life. She switched her major to Chemistry in the beginning of her sophomore year at CWRU and joined the research group of Prof. James Burgess in the Spring of 2011. In the Burgess Group, Rachael used electrochemistry to study methods to increase myoglobin detection limits in blood samples as well as measure cholesterol levels in cell membranes. In addition to her developing interest in research, she had always had a passion for teaching and had several inspirational professors during her time at CWRU. With this in mind, she started looking into Chemistry Ph.D. programs towards the end of her time at CWRU that emphasized excellence in both teaching and research. After graduating from CWRU with a Chemistry B.S. in 2013, she enrolled in the Chemistry Ph.D. program at Loyola University Chicago. In Fall 2013, she joined the experimental physical chemistry group of Prof. Dan Killelea; the Killelea Group leverages ultra-high vacuum (UHV) surface science techniques to elucidate the surface-mediated reaction mechanisms occurring during heterogeneously catalyzed chemical transformations. Her doctoral work focused on investigating the structural and chemical consequences of dissolved oxygen species on catalytically relevant single metal crystals as well as understanding small-molecule interactions with surface defects. Following her Ph.D. studies, Rachael joined the group of Prof. Steve Sibener at the University of Chicago as a Kadanoff-Rice Postdoctoral Fellow. In the Sibener Group, she was a member of the Center for Bright Beams, an NSF Science and Technology Center, and investigated next-generation superconducting radio frequency (SRF) materials growth using UHV surface science techniques. This work studying the nano-scale growth behavior of SRF materials, such as Niobium (Nb) hydrides and Nb alloys, contributes to the implementation of next-generation SRF cavities for particle accelerators and light sources. At the conclusion of her postdoctoral work, Rachael moved to Lawrence, KS to start her position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at KU in August 2022. Rachael is excited to be a part of the KU community and to work with faculty and students in the Department of Chemistry and the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis advancing the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Research in the Farber Group utilizes UHV science and technology to determine the atomistic reaction pathways of chemical transformations over complex heterogeneous catalyst surfaces. In preparing representative model catalyst surfaces that capture the chemical and structural complexity of actual heterogeneous catalysts, the work done in the Farber Group will contribute to the development of nextgeneration heterogeneous catalysts with high product selectivity and prolonged catalyst lifetimes. This is a crucial step leading to the efficient, and less wasteful, production of chemical goods used across many sectors of our lives.

Dr. Jason Applegate

Director of Undergraduate Labs

Born in Iowa, raised in Kansas City, Jason completed his B.S. degree at the University of Missouri – Kansas City in Chemistry in 2012. He then attended KU for graduate school and worked with Prof. Misha Barybin in the study of asymmetrically functionalized azulene scaffolds with applications in molecular electronics. After completing his PhD in 2019, he acquired an assistant professorship at Emporia State University, where he taught general and inorganic chemistry course sequences for three years. With nearly 10 years of experience teaching general chemistry labs and a desire to return to the KU community, he was elated to see the General Chemistry Lab Director position come available. Jason carries a wealth of firsthand experience in KU’s general chemistry labs and a drive to move our labs forward in new and more innovative ways.