I (Katy) am pleased to share that, as of May 13th, I’ve returned to Illinois, NPRE, and ARFC. After 3 years serving the U.S. Department of Energy, I am ready to get back to the important (and fun!) research and educational work here in Illinois. I am grateful to Dr. Madicken Munk for her work as Acting Director of ARFC during that time. We are extremely lucky to have had her expertise, leadership, and support.

Of course I’m especially grateful to the students, colleagues, and friends of ARFC who kept putting in such exceptional work in my absense. I’m lucky to be rejoining you. There’s nowhere I would rather be.

While I intend for this 2024 summer to be a time of reflection and rejuvenation, I also intend to leverage this time to review the work that’s been done in ARFC these last 3 years and to brainstorm new directions. Please bear with me as I revive the portions of my brain that may have atrophied during my time in Washington.

As we look to the future, please note that we’ll soon be recruiting new PhD students and at least one postdoctoral scholar. Folks interested in joining the group should reach out directly to me by email at kdhuff@illinois.edu.