Chris is a Staff Scientist in the Materials Science Division with research interests centered broadly around the characterization of materials via magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Chris pioneers the use of EPR spectroscopy at LLNL to investigate paramagnetic materials with applications in optics and radiation science. Chris is also interested in trans-uranium actinide chemistry and the dynamics of actinide containing polyoxometalates in aqueous solutions, and general cluster chemistry. Prior to joining LLNL Chris was a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Ph.D. Geochemistry, University of California, Davis, 2017

M.S. Geochemistry, University of California, Davis, 2013

B.S. Geology, University of California, Davis, 2012

J. Chapman, K. E. Kweon, Y. Zhu, K. Bushick, L. Bimo Bayu Aji, C. A. Colla, N. Goldman, Keilbart, S. R. Qiu, T. W. Heo, B. C. Wood. (2023) “Hydrogen in Disordered Titania: Connecting Local Chemistry, Structure, and Stoichiometry through Accelerated Exploration” J. Mat. Chem. A.

C. A. Colla, I. Colliard, A. M. Sawvel, H. E. Mason, M. Nyman, G. J.-P. Deblonde. (2022) “Contrasting Trivalent Lanthanide and Actinide Complexation by Polyoxometalates via Solution-State NMR” Inorg. Chem.

H. E. Mason, C. A. Colla, A. Racoveanu, K. R. Coffee, A. F. Panasci-Nott, E. M. Kahl, J. G. Reynolds. (2022) “Probing the Structural Effects of Hydrogen Bonding in 1,3,5-Triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB): Experimental Evidence by ¹⁵N NMR Spectroscopy” J. Phys. Chem. C.

I. Colliard, J. R. I. Lee, C. A. Colla, H. E. Mason, A. M. Sawvel, M. Zavarin, M. Nyman, G. J. P. Deblonde. (2022) “Poloxometalate-Driven Strategy to Complex, Isolate, and Characterize Compounds of Rare Isotopes from Microgram Quantities” Nature Chemistry

P. B. Mirkarimi, C. Harthcock, S. R. Qiu, R. A. Negres, G. Guss, T. Voisin, A. Than, J. A. Hammons, C. A. Colla, H. E. Mason, M. Huang. (2022) “Improving the Laser Performance of Ion Beam Sputtered Dielectric Thin Films Through The Suppression of Nanoscale Defects by Employing a Xenon Sputtering Gas” Optical Materials Express

K. G. Brunson, C. A. Colla, A. F. Oliveri, L. Pan, W. H. Casey. (2021) “A Conspicuous ²⁷Al-NMR Signal at 72 ppm During Isomerization of Keggin Al₁₃ Ions” Inorganica Chimica Acta

C. A. Colla and W. H. Casey. (2019) “Calculated Oxygen-Isotope Fractionations among Brucite, Portlandite, and Water” ACS Earth and Space Chemistry

P. Zarzycki, C. A. Colla, B. Gilbert, K. M. Rosso. (2019) “Lateral Water Structure Connects Metal-Oxide Nanoparticle Faces” Journal of Materials Research

• Physical and Life Sciences Directorate Award, for developing methods to study some of the rarest and most toxic elements on Earth 2023.
• UC Davis Allen G. Marr Prize for Distinguished Dissertation work 2018