Dr. Olga V. Lushchikova

Curriculum Vitae

My main research interest lies in the molecular-level understanding of the processes occurring during heterogeneous catalytic reactions. To do this, I use gas-phase metal clusters as a model system for the active site of the catalytic materials allowing for control over the structure, composition, and charge state.  The interaction between the clusters and reactants is characterized by the combination of mass-spectrometric methods and optical spectroscopy.

Current and Previous Positions

• since 2021: Postdoctoral researcher (Institute of Ion Physics and Applied Physics, University of Innsbruck, Austria)

Education

• 2021: PhD at The Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
• 2017: master of Physical Chemistry at Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands                                                                               complemented by MSc+ talent program from the University of Amsterdam
• 2015: Bachelor of Chemistry at the HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands                                                         complemented by Analytical Sciences Talent Programme (ASTP) 

Fellowships and Grants

• 2023: STSM Grant from COST COSY (CA21101) 
• 2022: Early-stage Funding from the University of Innsbruck
• 2021: Lise-Meitner scholarship from FWF
  
• 2020: Radboud Internationalisation travel grant for outgoing PhD from Radboud University
• 2019: PhD mobility Programme from HRSMC

Scientific stays abroad

• 2023 (1 week):  SQS Beamline, European XFEL, Hamburg, Germany                                                                                              Research on: Single-electron nanoplasma seeding probed by ultrafast X-ray coherent diffractive imaging. (PI: Dr. Oliver Gessner )
• 2023 (2 weeks):  Department of physical & analytical chemistry (Prof. P. B. Armentrout) at the University of Utah, USA
  Research on: Bond dissociation energies of lanthanide metal complexes
• 2020 (2 weeks): Nano-Bio-Physics department (Prof. P. Scheier) at Innsbruck University, Innsbruck, Austria                            Research on: Spectroscopic characterization of He-tagged C₆₀^+/-.
• 2018 (4 weeks): Cluster Catalysis group (Dr. S. M. Lang) at Ulm University, Ulm, Germany                                                    Research on: Catalytic activity of Mn_xO_y⁺ towards water dissociation.  

Academic achievements and activities

• 27 publications in peer-reviewed journals (among them 3  in J. Phys. Chem. Lett. and 2 in Angew. Chem)
• 19 talks at international conferences (3 invited talks and 2 colloquia)
• Poster prize at International Conference on Quantum Fluid Clusters (QFC) 2022, Erice, Italy, and SASP2024, Andalo, Italy.
• Teaching assistant for quantum mechanics courses
• (Co-)Supervisor of Bachelor (4) and master (2) students
• Five successful internships (from 6 months each) and over five summer schools in different research areas of chemistry, physics, and data analysis as a part of TI-COAST talent programs.
• Conference organization: the 12th International Meeting on Atomic and Molecular Physics and Chemistry  (IMAMPC), Innsbruck, Austria (co-organizer)
•  Outreach activities: several publications in two Dutch physics journals (NTvN and Nevac blad) highlighting research to the broader audience and a promotion video. 

Ten representative publications

1. Lushchikova, O.V.; Rijmer, S.; Armentrout, P.B.; Bakker, J.M., IR spectroscopic characterization of methane adsorption on copper clusters Cu_n⁺ (n=2-4), J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. (2022), DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00046

2. Kollotzek, S.; Lushchikova, O.V.; Tiefenthaler, L.; Zappa, F.; Scheier, P., Efficient formation of size-selected clusters upon pickup of dopants into multiply charged helium droplets, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 23(7), 3613 (2022), DOI:10.3390/ijms23073613

3. Lushchikova, O.V.; Tahmasbi, H.; Meyer, J.; Bakker, J.M., IR spectroscopic characterization of H₂ adsorption on cationic Cu_n⁺ (n=4-7) clusters, J. Phys. Chem. A, 125, 14, 2836–2848 (2021), DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c11527

4.  Jamshidi, Z.; Lushchikova, O.V.; Bakker, J.M.; Visscher, L., Not completely innocent: how argon binding perturbs cationic copper clusters, J. Phys. Chem. A 124, 9004 (2020), DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c07771

5. Lengyel, J.; Levin, N.G.; Wensink, F.J.; Lushchikova, O.V.; Landman, U.; Heiz, U.; Bakker, J.M.; Tschurl, M., Structural identification of gas-phase intermediates in Ta₄⁺-mediated methane dehydrogenation, Angew. Chem. 59, 23631 (2020), DOI: 10.1002/anie.20201079

6. Yamaguchi, M; Zhang, Y; Kudoh, S; Koyama, K; Lushchikova, O.V.; Bakker, J.M.; Mafuné, F., Oxophilicity as a Descriptor for NO Cleavage Efficiency over Group IX Metal Clusters, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 11, 4408 (2020), DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c01133

7.  Ferrari, P.; Hou, G.L.; Lushchikova, O.V.; Calvo, F.; Bakker, J.M.; Janssens, E., The structures of cationic gold clusters probed by far-infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 10, 1 (2020), DOI:10.1039/d0cp01613f

8. Armentrout, P.B.; Yang, F.; Stevenson, B.C.; Wensink, F.J.; Lushchikova, O.V.; Bakker, J.M., Infrared Spectroscopy of Gold Carbene Cation (AuCH₂⁺): Covalent or Dative Bonding?, J. Phys. Chem. A 123, 8932 (2019), DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.9b08049

9. Lushchikova, O.V.; Huitema, D. M. M.; López-Tarifa, P.; Visscher, L.; Jamshidi, Z.; Bakker, J.M., Structure Determination of Cationic Cu Clusters by IR Spectroscopy, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 10, 2151 (2019), DOI:10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00539

10. Yamaguchi, M.; Kudoh, S.; Miyajima, K.; Lushchikova, O.; Bakker, J.M.; Mafuné, F., Tuning the Dissociative Action of Cationic Rh Clusters Towards NO by Substituting a Single Ta Atom, J. Phys. Chem. C 123, 3476 (2019), DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b08575