Dawn Shaughnessy

Shaughnessy wanted to be a doctor as a child but became interested in science at middle school{{cite news |title=Dawn Shaughnessy, Most Creative People 2016 |work=Fast Company |language=en-US |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/person/dawn-shaughnessy |access-date=2018-07-26}} and studied at El Segundo High School.{{cite web |title=Hall of Fame |website=elsegundohigh.org |language=en |url=https://www.elsegundohigh.org/apps/news/article/776379 |access-date=2018-07-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727024611/https://www.elsegundohigh.org/apps/news/article/776379 |archive-date=2018-07-27}} She earned her bachelor's in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1993.{{cite web |title=Superheavy Element Discovery and Chemistry at LLNL |website=Berkeley Nuclear Engineering |language=en |url=https://nuc.berkeley.edu/superheavy-element-discovery-and-chemistry-at-llnl/ |access-date=2024-04-08 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727054546/https://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/events/superheavy-element-discovery-and-chemistry-llnl |archive-date=2018-07-27}} She joined Darleane C. Hoffman's group for her doctoral studies, and completed her PhD{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |title=Electron-capture delayed fission properties of neutron-deficient einsteinium nuclei |year=2000 |last=Shaughnessy |first=Dawn Angela |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |website=berkeley.edu |oclc=892827700 |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71d8x90f}} at the UC Berkeley College of Chemistry in 2000.{{cite news |title=Meet the Woman Who Just Changed the Periodic Table As You Know It |work=Verily |language=en-us |url=https://verilymag.com/2016/01/dawn-shaughnessy-chemist-female-scientist-new-elements-discovered-periodic-table |access-date=2018-07-26}}{{cite web |title=Dawn Shaughnessy |website=pls.llnl.gov |language=en |url=https://people.llnl.gov/shaughnessy2 |access-date=2024-04-08}} Her thesis investigated the delayed fission of einsteinium. She won an award recognising her strength in graduate instruction.

Shaughnessy joined the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2000, working under Heino Nitsche. As part of a United States Department of Energy effort to clean up nuclear materials in the environment, Shaughnessy studied how plutonium interacts with manganese-bearing minerals. She joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2002.

In 2012 her group received a $5,000 grant which they donated to the Livermore High School department of chemistry. She was appointed group leader of the experimental nuclear and radiochemistry group in 2013.{{cite web |title=Women @ Energy: Dawn Shaughnessy |website=energy.gov |language=en |url=https://www.energy.gov/diversity/articles/women-energy-dawn-shaughnessy |access-date=2018-07-26}} She has been involved in campaigns to celebrate Women's History Month.{{citation|last=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory|title=Meet Livermore Chemist Dawn Shaughnessy|date=2013-03-21|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5rfhO74mn4|access-date=2018-07-26}} In 2014 she was an editor of the book The Chemistry of Superheavy Elements.{{cite book |title=The Chemistry of Superheavy Elements |editor-last=Schädel |editor-first=Matthias |editor-last2=Shaughnessy |editor-first2=Dawn |edition=2nd |date=2016 |language=English |publisher=Springer |isbn=9783662500170 |s2cid=122675117 |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-37466-1 |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/643991}}

While leading the heavy element group, Shaughnessy partnered with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research; the team managed to identify five new superheavy elements.{{cite news |title=Livermore Lab team discovers six new elements |last=Bing |first=Jeb |language=en |url=https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2012/04/17/livermore-lab-team-discovers-six-new-elements |access-date=2018-07-26}}{{cite web |title=It's official: Four super-heavy elements to be added to the periodic table |last=Netburn |first=Deborah |website=Los Angeles Times |date=2016-01-05 |url=https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-new-elements-20160104-story.html |access-date=2018-07-26}}{{cite news |title=Lab scientists discover five new nuclei |url=https://phys.org/news/2015-10-lab-scientists-nuclei.html |access-date=2018-07-26}} The elements were confirmed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in January 2016.{{cite news |title=Nuclear detective tracking the last elements |last=Monks |first=Kieron |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/19/tech/the-nuclear-detective/index.html |access-date=2018-07-26}}{{cite news |title=Livermore Lab's discovery expands chemistry's periodic table |date=2016-01-04 |work=East Bay Times |language=en-US |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/01/04/livermore-labs-discovery-expands-chemistrys-periodic-table/ |access-date=2018-07-26}} As they were discovered at the Livermore lab, she named element 116 Livermorium.{{citation|last=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory|title=Behold Livermorium: A Quest for New Elements|date=2016-03-17|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUHfJmOzt64|access-date=2018-07-26}} Her recent work has included nuclear forensics – being able to identify the traces of fissile material, products, and activation products after an explosion.{{cite news |title=Providing data for nuclear detectives |date=2015-03-03 |work=Research & Development |language=en |url=https://www.rdmag.com/news/2015/03/providing-data-nuclear-detectives |access-date=2018-07-26}} Her team are trying to automate sample preparation and detection, allowing them to speed up their isotope analysis.{{cite news |title=Providing data for nuclear detectives |date=2015-03-03 |work=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |language=en |url=https://www.llnl.gov/article/40866/providing-data-nuclear-detectives |access-date=2018-07-26}}

Shaughnessy has won numerous awards and honors including:

• 2010 - Department of Energy Office of Science Outstanding Mentor Award{{cite news |title=DOE recognizes Lab's outstanding mentors |date=2010-07-02 |work=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |language=en |url=https://www.llnl.gov/article/35691/doe-recognizes-labs-outstanding-mentors |access-date=2018-07-26}}
• 2010 - Gordon Battelle Prize for Scientific Discovery{{cite news |title=LLNL team donates heavily to Livermore High |date=2011-05-18 |work=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |language=en |url=https://www.llnl.gov/article/36891/llnl-team-donates-heavily-livermore-high |access-date=2018-07-26}}
• 2012 - Inducted into the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame{{cite web |title=2012 - Inductees - Women's Hall Of Fame - Alameda County |website=acgov.org |url=https://www.acgov.org/whof/inductees/2012/index.htm |access-date=2018-07-26}}{{cite news |title=Shaughnessy inducted to Alameda County Women's Hall Of Fame |date=2012-03-28 |work=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |language=en |url=https://www.llnl.gov/article/37856/shaughnessy-inducted-alameda-county-womens-hall-fame |access-date=2018-07-26}}
• 2016 - Fast Company Most Creative{{cite news |title=Researcher cracks top 10 in 'most creative' list |date=2016-05-17 |work=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |language=en |url=https://www.llnl.gov/article/42286/researcher-cracks-top-10-most-creative-list |access-date=2018-07-26}}
• 2018 - Elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society

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Category:21st-century American chemists

Category:21st-century American scientists

Category:El Segundo High School alumni

Category:Fellows of the American Chemical Society

Category:Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory people

Category:Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory staff

Category:Living people

Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)