Meagan Oakley
@meaganoakley.bsky.social
1.5K followers 320 following 120 posts
never met an actinide I didn't like 🇨🇦👩‍💻⚛ DKO Research Fellow and computational chemist @ University of Manchester
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meaganoakley.bsky.social
Last one of the year: my work on the calculated stability of expanded porphyrin actinide complexes with Georg is finally published :)
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
Trends in Methanol-Solvated Actinide Ions and Actinide Expanded Porphyrin Complexes
Trivalent actinide expanded porphyrin complexes have been of synthetic interest since the isolation of the series of trivalent lanthanide texaphyrin complexes in 1992, however, synthesis of these actinide-based complexes has not yet been achieved. In this work, a computational study with relativistic density functional theory was performed to determine how trivalent actinide ions (Ac3+ through Lr3+) interact with Schiff base expanded porphyrin macrocycles in a methanol solvent as an alternate pathway to stabilization. A thorough analysis of structural parameters, electronic structure, stability of microsolvation environments, and relative binding energies provided insight into the most stable structures. Trends in bonding and structure for the full actinide series are reported for methanol solvated ions, which reports actinide contraction along the series for early and mid actinides. Texaphyrin incorporates the actinide ions in a planar fashion, whereas for alaskphyrin a bent structure is more favorable; this bend results in stronger interaction energies than those calculated for the texaphyrin complexes. We also show that the redox-active expanded porphyrin ligands are able to accommodate a variety of actinides through charge transfer stabilization. Based on relative binding energy and energy decomposition analysis, it was found that texaphyrin and alaskaphyrin both exhibit a strong preference for binding to Th.
pubs.acs.org
meaganoakley.bsky.social
This will be perfect for teaching! Currently having to provide scripts for plotting on their own.
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
rsc.org
Join us for our #FD_ExcitedStates, to define the frontiers for research at the intersections of theory and experiment in a unique discussion on Molecular excited states theory and experiment.

Find out more (and submit an abstract): rsc.li/excitedstates-fd2026 #ChemSky
Promotional image for a Royal Society of Chemistry event titled 'Molecular excited states theory and experiment', scheduled from September 14-16, 2026 in Cambridge, UK. The graphic features a vibrant abstract design representing molecular activity, set against a dotted background, with a 'Save the date' reminder included.
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
kadenp.bsky.social
🚨 Two PhD Opportunities in Actinide Chemistry at @hzdr.bsky.social (Dresden, Germany)
PhD Student – Actinide coordination chemistry lnkd.in/e5y8nwK9
PhD Student – MOFs of the actinides lnkd.in/e2NpT2y8
👉 Apply now and shape the future of actinide chemistry!
#actinides #fblockrocks #chemsky #nuclear
meaganoakley.bsky.social
It's about a 1 in 4 chance I get the bad gateway page anytime I try to access.
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
llangresearch.bsky.social
I have an open PhD position. The exact topic is negotiable and can range from implementing new quantum-chemical methods in @orca-qc-official.bsky.social to computational studies of open-shell molecules.
🔗 Details: www.langresearch.org/open-phd-fel...

Please share!

#PhDposition #CompChem
Open PhD Fellowship in Quantum Chemistry at TU Berlin – Lang Research Group
www.langresearch.org
meaganoakley.bsky.social
Developing new comp chem practicals for the upcoming semester. So happy I was able to sneak in teaching the students CASSCF :)
meaganoakley.bsky.social
A transformation I did not expect!
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
manchester.ac.uk
What are your favourite quiet corners of campus?

An absolutely stunning shot from our Instagram follower bill_ayres that captures the library so perfectly.
an artistic shot of the library with hues of blue and green.
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
richardstupart.com
If you are applying to a PhD, don't use an LLM in composing your proposal.

If you are doing a PhD, don't use an LLM to do the writing and reading and thinking for you.

Sorry, I am going to die on this hill.
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
jocelynsinclair.bsky.social
Can writing a scientific paper for the first (or fourth. Or fortieth) be a battle? Yes.

But knowing how to approach the process and what your collaborators, supervisors, and journals expect from you during that process lowers the barrier immensely.
mcdonaldinstitute.bsky.social
Thank you Jocelyn Sinclair from @canjphysics.bsky.social / @csp
@cdnsciencepub.com for the fantastic workshop of publishing guidelines at the Women+ In Physics Conference at @queensuglobal.bsky.social
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
julie.radiantarray.io
me: i will rest today
me, later: i am anxious why am i not doing things
meaganoakley.bsky.social
I'm often trying to teach what the peaks of certain spectra mean and flip them on their side to show the relationship to the MO energy levels. Nice to see I'm not too far off base!
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
andrechemist.bsky.social
The linked J. Chem. Ed. article above has this diagram connecting MO diagrams of N₂ with the photoelectron spectrum which I feel should be the complete image that all students learning MO theory should see.

I have never seen this idea in a intro chem textbook covering MOs.
A figure of qualitative MO diagrams of N₂ without and with mixing along with a photoelectron spectrum for the same molecule. In the MO diagram with mixing, the orbital energies are correlated to the position of the peaks on the photoelectron spectrum corresponding to to the removal of an electron from that energy level.
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
ipheliapaine.bsky.social
I was a GS until I was 17!
bethanyhalford.bsky.social
How many members of #chemsky are or were Scouts? Fionna Samuels (@fmorningstar.bsky.social) learned all about the new chemistry merit badge requirements for #Newscripts in @cenmag.bsky.social - she also tried out the cabbage pH indicator experiment herself.

cen.acs.org/education/ou...
Chemistry merit badge gets a new formula
Updated experiments for Scouting America can be done safely at home with easy-to-find materials
cen.acs.org
meaganoakley.bsky.social
Anytime I feel homesick I put on Joel
meaganoakley.bsky.social
Oh no! Not missing the last one home 😞
meaganoakley.bsky.social
If you'll be there, let me know! It would be great to connect IRL with some #chemsky folks. Or if you're interested in actinide superhyperfine coupling, come to my talk!
meaganoakley.bsky.social
Getting my presentation ready for WATOC next week. The last time I went was in Munich as a PhD student, and it was such a great experience (and it was my first time in Europe!). Feels weird to be presenting now as an independent researcher as it doesn’t feel like that long ago.
Reposted by Meagan Oakley
skepteis.bsky.social
Ah yes, meritocracy...
Plots showing that in most OECD countries, social class outweights academic ability in predicting student's plans to finish university.
meaganoakley.bsky.social
Me too :( maybe next year