image: Using diamond-based tools, Dr. Altman's team simulates extreme underground and planetary conditions by applying pressure to a central crystal, creating new materials and observing real-time chemical reactions.
Credit: Dr. Alison Altman/Texas A&M University
Dr. Alison Altman, an assistant professor in the Texas A&M Chemistry Department, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, which supports early-career faculty in research and education. The award recognizes her work on underexplored elements of the periodic table and her dedication to teaching. For Altman, it’s a launchpad for future discoveries.
“It’s an honor to receive this award, as it acknowledges not just my research program but also my teaching efforts,” Altman said. “I’m excited to use this support to bring solid-state chemistry to learners of all levels because it’s everywhere!”
Altman studies lanthanides, a group of lesser-known metals with unique properties that make them essential in technology like smartphones and electric cars. Lanthanides are often overlooked but essential for powering modern technology. Using high-pressure chemistry and geoscience techniques, she examines how these materials form and behave under extreme conditions.
She applies the same methods geoscientists use to study the deep interiors of planets—except instead of analyzing rocks, she uses extreme pressure to transform chemistry. By compressing materials with diamond-based tools, her team mimics conditions found deep underground or inside planets, allowing them to create materials that don’t naturally exist and observe chemical reactions as they happen.
Her research could lead to advances in energy and data storage. Most materials used in technology form under normal conditions, but by applying high pressure, Altman can unlock new, potentially more efficient materials. She likens it to rewriting chemistry’s rules. For example, students learn that sodium and chloride combine to form table salt (NaCl), but under extreme pressure, different sodium-chloride compounds can emerge—proof that chemistry still holds many discoveries.
Altman earned a B.S. in chemistry from Yale University in 2012, followed by a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017. She completed postdoctoral research at Northwestern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before joining Texas A&M in 2022.
The NSF CAREER Award also highlights her dedication to education. She plans to use the funding to expand chemistry education at all levels, emphasizing how solid-state chemistry affects everyday life.
“Texas A&M is the perfect place to build a high-pressure research program,” Altman said. “My colleagues in geosciences and electrical engineering bring unique perspectives that enrich my work. I’m fortunate to collaborate with brilliant colleagues, including my peers in the NSF Center for the Mechanical Control of Chemistry.”
With this award, Altman is ready to take on new challenges and show how chemistry is always changing. Now that her team has figured out key rules for creating high-pressure lanthanide materials, they are prepared to explore new possibilities.
###