2025 SPECS All Hands Meeting

Our annual All-Hands meeting will be held in Boulder, CO at the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) building located at 4001 Discovery Dr. The regular sessions are Tuesday, February 11, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Professional development for our graduate students will continue from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

On the evening of Tuesday, February 11, we will host a dinner session featuring Dr. Iain McCulloch. This dinner session will be held at the Boulder Marriott, 2660 Canyon Blvd. Boulder, CO 80302. 

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RASEI building

We will provide morning coffee/pastry, lunch, and afternoon snacks at RASEI on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dinner will be provided at the Boulder Marriott on Tuesday. You will be on your own for breakfast.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

 
Start Time
Description
Speaker(s)
Location
8:30 AMFirst shuttle from Marriott to RASEI departs Boulder Marriott front drive
8:50 AMSecond (last) shuttle from Marriott to RASEI departs Boulder Marriott front drive
9:00 AMState of the Center & Goals for the meetingErin RatcliffRASEI

Project 1: Optoelectronic and chemical signatures of polarons in model systems

Start Time
Description
Speaker(s)
Location
10:00 AM(Title TBD) "Redox Ladders..." Matt Bird, BNLRASEI
10:45 AM"A Theoretical and Spectroelectrochemical Approach to Understanding Local Environmental Effects on Polaron Properties"Megan Brown, Zhiting Chen, Hong Li, Arianna Magni, Joel Bombile, Jean-Luc Bredas, Neal Armstrong, Chad Risko, Erin RatcliffRASEI
11:05 AM"Spectroscopic Investigation Into P(NDI2OD-2T) Charge Localization" Jonathan Thurston & Shuya LiRASEI
11:25 AMFull EFRC discussion and Q&AChad Risko (moderator)RASEI
12:00 PMLunch RASEI

Project 2: Polymer Physics and Transport Considerations

Start Time
Description
Speaker(s)
Location
1:00 PM"Unraveling the differences in disorder between flexible-chain and hairy-rod conjugated polymers"Henry Kantrow & Yael TsarfatiRASEI
1:20 PM"Probing the Effect of Phase Morphology on Electrochemical Doping in Conjugated Hairy-Rod Polymer Blends"Jude Kpare, Henry Kantrow, Arianna Magni, Spencer Yeager, Casey Davis, Michel De Keersmaecker 
1:40 PM"Implications of ordering in Thiophene-Based Polymer for Driving Electrochemical Reactions"Casey Davis & Spencer YeagerRASEI
2:00 PMFull EFRC discussion and Q&ANatalie Stingelin (moderator)RASEI
2:30 PMBREAK RASEI

Project 3: Competing Processes in Photocathodes

Start Time
Description
Speaker(s)
Location
3:00 PM"Polaron-Mediated Exciton Dynamics of P(NDI2OD-T2) Unveiled by Transient Absorption Spectroscopy under Electrochemical Conditions"Tim Lian & Eui Hyun SuhRASEI
3:30 PM"P(NDI2OD-T2): From the characterization of its polymorphs to the description of mixed ion-electron transport in polymer-electrolyte systems"Chamikara KarunasenaRASEI
3:50 PM"The changes to photoinduced charge dynamics of a PTB7-Th:N2200 blend induced by aqueous environments and their structural origins"Abhisek Mohaptra & Will KopchaRASEI
4:10 PMFull EFRC discussion and Q&ATim Lian (moderator)RASEI
5:00 PM

Tuesday working session Ends

5:15 PMFirst shuttle from RASEI to Marriott  
5:45 PMSecond (last) shuttle from RASEI to Marriott  
6:00 PM
Welcome Reception
Boulder Marriott
6:30 PM
Dinner Service starts
Boulder Marriott
Start Time
Description
Speaker(s)
Location
6:50 PMDinner PresentationIain McCullochBoulder Marriott
8:00 PM

End

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

 
Start TimeDescriptionSpeaker(s)Location
8:30 AMFirst shuttle from Marriott to RASEI departs Boulder Marriott front drive
8:50 AMSecond (last) shuttle from Marriott to RASEI departs Boulder Marriott front drive
9:00 AMWelcome and AnnouncementsErin RatcliffRASEI

Project 4: Catalytic site attachment and electron transport polymers

9:30 AM"Theoretical Models and XPS Characterizations of Pt NP Deposition on Conductive Polymers"Zhiting Chen & Hong LiRASEI
9:50 AM"Electron Transport Polymers and Interface Modification for SPECs"Yunping Huang, Suman Kulia, Aiswarya Abhisek Mohapatra, Yadong Zhang, Erin L. Ratcliff, Neal R. Armstrong, Ann L. Greenaway, Stephen Barlow and Seth R. MarderRASEI
10:20 AMFull EFRC discussion and Q&AStephen Barlow (moderator)RASEI
11:00 AMSmall Group Breakouts - discussion of research for August 2025 publications(accepting moderators)RASEI
12:00 PMLunch RASEI
1:00 PMProfessional Development - how to write a proposal: communicating in large teams, and other pointsNeal Armstrong & Garry RumblesRASEI
1:45 PMBreak RASEI
2:00 PMProfessional Development with April Rodd, Wiley  RASEI
3:10 PMFirst Shuttle for hotel guests back to Boulder Marriott RASEI - pick up loc. TBD
3:30 PMSecond (last) Shuttle for hotel guests back to Boulder Marriott RASEI - Pick up loc. TBD

The 2025 SPECS All Hands meeting is being held at the University of Colorado Boulder Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), in the SEEC and SEEL Building located at 4001 Discovery Dr. Boulder, CO 80303.

PARKING

Paid Parking is available in Lot 550, the southwest parking lot in front of the SEEL building. There are 92 spaces of which 6 are for ADA-accessible parking only. There are additional ADA-accessible spaces in the circle in front of the SEEC building.

Please contact Jen Garcia jennyj@arizona.edu to receive the SPECS booking link for full-day parking.

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SEEC Parking Map

LODGING & TUESDAY EVENING DINNER

Designated lodging has been contracted at the Boulder Marriott, 2660 Canyon Boulevard, Boulder, CO 80302.

Distance from Denver International Airport: 42 miles
Distance from RASEI to Marriott: 2.1 miles (7 minutes driving) or 1.6 miles walk (40-minute walk)

GROUND TRANSPORTATION AIRPORT : MARRIOTT

Airport Transportation suggested by Marriott: Eight Black Airport Shuttle; Fee $24.00 one way. Call 720-223-5474, Text 720-853-2272, or email for booking: bookings@eightblackairportshuttle.com

SHUTTLE BETWEEN RASEI & MARRIOTT

Tuesday, February 11

  • 8:30 am departure from Marriott to RASEI
  • 8:50 am departure from Marriott to RASEI
  • 5:15 pm departure from RASEI to Marriott
  • 5:35 pm departure from RASEI to Marriott

Wednesday, February 12

  • 8:30 am departure from Marriott to RASEI
  • 8:50 am departure from Marriott to RASEI
  • 1:00 pm departure from RASEI to Marriott
  • 3:15 pm departure from RASEI to Marriott
  • 3:35 pm departure from RASEI to Marriott