Kirsten Blanton

Kirsten is a 2nd year PhD Student from Las Vegas, NV. She graduated from Baylor University with a B.S. in Biochemistry in 2020, after which she was a high school teacher in Las Vegas, teaching Geoscience and Physical Science. During this time, she also earned a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Following her time as a teacher, Kirsten worked as an analytical chemist at MP Materials, the only lanthanide mining and processing facility in the USA. In the Doerrer Group, Kirsten works on Pt-TM lantern complexes with unique donor ligands. In her free time, she enjoys going to yoga, crafting, and spending time with her dog.