Dr. Justin Wedal grew up in the Midwest and completed a dual bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Escaping the cold weather, Justin received his PhD from the University of California, Irvine under the guidance of Bill Evans. Following graduation, he pursued postdoctoral studies at Yale University under the supervision of Nilay Hazari. He began his independent career at FIU in August 2026. His research integrates organometallic and inorganic chemistry to prepare highly reactive metal complexes.
Research Areas
Dr. Wedal's research group is an inorganic and organometallic chemistry group whose interests focus on rational ligand design in f and p block complexes to access highly reactive complexes with unusual electronic structures and reactivity. The group uses a combination of chemical synthesis and spectroscopic, mechanistic, and theoretical analysis to study the complexes. The projects have applications ranging from fundamental studies to applications in sustainable synthesis, renewable energy, and environmental remediation.
- Actinide and radiochemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Organic methodology
Education
- BS, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
- PhD, University of California, Irvine
- Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University