Polly L. Arnold

Polly Arnold, professor of chemistry at University of California, Berkeley, and director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Chemical Sciences Division, studies the bonding and reactivity of heavy elements. Arnold's work has shown how rare earth elements offer great potential for the catalytic conversion of simple inert molecules needed for a renewable-based chemical industry and has advanced new techniques for controlling the chemistry of actinides, which underpin the long-term, safe management of nuclear waste.