Vladislav Klepov
Vlad received his B.S. in Chemistry from Samara State University (Russia) in 2010 and Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Samara University and Lobachevsky University of Nizhny Novgorod in 2015. After teaching for 2 years as a senior lecturer at Samara National Research University, he took a postdoctoral appointment in the research group of Prof. Hans-Conrad zur Loye at the University of South Carolina. In 2021, he moved to Northwestern University to work on the synthesis and device fabrication of new radiation detectors with Prof. Mercouri Kanatzidis. Vlad moved to the University of Georgia in August 2022, where he started his independent career as an Assistant Professor. CV
Graduate Students
Second year
Hope Long
Hope received her A.A.S. in criminal Justice Technology from North Georgia Technical College in 2017 and her B.S. in Chemistry along with an A.S. in Biology from the University of North Georgia in Spring 2022. She started at the University of Georgia in Fall 2022 where she joined the Klepov group and is currently pursuing her PhD in materials chemistry.
James Casey
Jimmy is from Buford, Georgia and graduated from the University of North Georgia in spring of 2022 with a B.S. in Chemistry. Throughout his undergrad he did analytical research on biological specimens. He joined the Klepov group Fall of 2022 to continue his education and pursue his PhD in Materials Chemistry. During his undergrad, he trained and showed horses along with teaching riding lessons to students. He also has taken several years of classical voice lessons in opera and received a scholarship in his undergraduate university to be in the choir. His other hobbies include golfing and mountain biking.
First year
Aleksandra (Sasha) Valueva
Sasha graduated from the Moscow State University in 2023 with M.S. in Materials Science. Her research was focused on the syntheis of new catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction based on 3d-metal compounds. She joined the Klepov group in Summer 2023 to pursue her PhD in Materials Chemistry. Her other hobbies include embroidery and ballet, which she had been doing for 7 years.
Maksim Tabatadze
Maksim graduated from the Samara National Research University with a B.S./M.S. in Inorganic Chemistry in 2023. His scientific research focused on the synthesis ofnew uranyl bromopropionate complexes. Maksim joined the Klepov group in Summer 2023 to pursue his PhD in Materials Chemistry. In his free time, he plays contract bridge at a semi-professional level.
Kaige Wu
Kaige Wu received his Master’s in Applied Chemistry from Peking University in 2019 and his Master’s in Chemical Engineering from The University of North Dakota in 2023. He is currently carrying out his PhD study on uranium intermetallic compound in Klepov group at the University of Georgia from Fall 2023.
Postdoc
Sergei Novikov
Sergei received his B.S. in Chemistry from Samara State University, Russia in 2010. He continued working there as a laboratory assistant and then as a lecturer. Alongside teaching undergraduate courses in Chemistry, Sergei studied new coordination compounds of uranium. In January 2018 Sergei joined Prof. Yurij Mozharivskyj group at McMaster University, Canada, as a graduate student. His project focused on the synthesis and characterization of new inorganic luminescent materials. Sergei also provided support to other students interested in single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. After graduating with Ph.D. from McMaster University, Sergei joined the Klepov group as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. In his free time Sergei enjoys hiking, wildlife observations, cooking, and music.
Undergraduate Students
Maria Goncalves
Maria is a third-year chemistry major. She has an interest in pursuing a career in Nuclear or Material Chemistry. Maria plans on continuing research in Dr. Klepov's lab until graduation. She works alongside Hope Long for graduate student oversight where they mainly work with the synthesis of uranium compounds.
Klayson Rumell
Klayson was born and raised in Byron, Georgia. She will graduate with a B.S. Chem in Chemistry from The University of Georgia in May of 2024. While being a full-time student, Klayson enjoys being with her dog, Daisy, spending time with her friends and family, as well as driving around listening to country music through rural parts of Athens.
Jared Solovei
Jared is a fourth-year chemistry major at the University of Georgia. After graduating he plans on continuing his education to pursue a PhD degree in Materials Chemistry. His current project focuses on the purification of starting materials and the synthesis of semiconductor radiation detectors. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing guitar and spending time with his dog.
Group Alumni
Hope Eden Smith
Hope was doing research with the Klepov group as a part of the SURO program at UGA while she was a senior at Valdosta State University. She is graduating in May 2024 with a B.S. in Chemistry as well as a B.S. in Biology. She wants to continue her education after graduation, getting her PhD in Chemistry. Hope has two years of experience in organic photochemistry research, but she has a special interest in inorganic crystallography. In her free time, which is rare, she loves to paint, read, and play intramural sports.
Makaela Everett
Makaela joined the Klepov group to study uranyl perovskite oxides in for Spring 2023 semester. She graduated with a Bachelors in Chemistry In Spring 2023. In her free time she enjoys football and rock wall climbing.