PNNL

In the evenings after work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)-Sequim campus, graduate researcher Alyssa Radakovich heads for the trails. Running through forests and along the shoreline isn’t just a way to unwind—it’s a reminder of the landscapes that inspired her to become a scientist.

Growing up outside of Chicago, Radakovich loved hiking, camping, backpacking, and trail running. She once planned to attend medical school and took chemistry courses at Grinnell College that introduced her to research through synthesizing molecules for pharmaceutical applications. At the same time, her lifelong love of spending time outdoors drew her toward Earth sciences, and she realized she could combine both passions through chemistry and hydrogeology.

By 2023, Radakovich was pursuing a doctorate in hydrogeology at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), when her advisor Frank Yang encouraged her to attend a research exchange with PNNL scientists.

What seemed like a routine scientific meeting would ultimately reshape the course of her PhD.

The opportunity grew out of years of relationship-building. Earth scientist and director of program development Tim Scheibe helped establish PNNL’s Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP) partnership with UNR.

“The research exchange was our chance to get to know some of the professors, and from that one of the professors identified a student he thought would really like to come here,” Scheibe said. He had worked with leaders at both institutions to develop a partnership that outlined how graduate students would conduct research collaboratively. He also helped bring PNNL scientists to Reno for research talks and field visits, creating opportunities for faculty and researchers to identify shared scientific interests.

During one of the research exchanges, Radakovich listened to PNNL Earth scientist Allison Myers-Pigg introduce the River Corridor Hydrobiogeochemistry Science Focus Area (SFA) and the interdisciplinary research taking place at PNNL. Radakovich, whose own work focused on Earth systems chemistry, immediately recognized connections to Myers-Pigg’s research.

After the presentations, Radakovich, Yang, and Myers-Pigg discovered overlapping research interests and a shared curiosity about how organic matter chemistry influences ecosystems after wildfires. Those conversations ultimately led Yang to nominate Radakovich for the new DGRP partnership. Myers-Pigg was excited about the opportunity to work with another PhD intern, because she had recently had a rewarding experience mentoring a student through a DGRP with Oregon State University.

“Alyssa brings a lot of creativity to her work,” Myers-Pigg said. “She thinks deeply about how to look at really complicated data sets in meaningful ways and she’s taken a lot of initiative to find the tools and experiences she needs. Every time she comes into a meeting, she has a new idea for us to discuss. It’s rewarding to work with students because that passion is contagious.”

Radakovich joined PNNL in 2025, where she has spent the final two years of her doctoral research at both the PNNL-Richland and PNNL-Sequim campuses, working alongside laboratory scientists while maintaining strong connections with her university research team.

And working with Myers-Pigg and researchers across PNNL has expanded both Radakovich’s scientific network and her research opportunities.

“Through PNNL and Allison, I gained access to this interdisciplinary collaboration with the River Corridor SFA team,” Radakovich said. “It felt like going from sitting in one room discussing ideas, to sitting in a lecture hall full of great ideas and very smart scientists. Allison has been a big part of that because she’s full of ideas and knowledge and people to connect me to. She’s made this such a great experience for me.”

The collaboration quickly produced results. After her first year in the DGRP, Radakovich was lead author on a paper accepted to Environmental Science & Technology Letters, titled “Revealing Hidden Quinones Through Diagnostic MS² Fragmentation of Peptide-Quinone Adducts.” The publication, coauthored by researchers from UNR and PNNL, revealed a previously hidden pool of quinone-like compounds in pyrogenic organic matter, discovered via peptide tagging and diagnostic mass spectrometry fragmentation, substantially expanding the observable redox-active chemical space, which likely influences biogeochemical cycling.

“The PNNL-UNR Graduate Fellowship has provided Alyssa with a unique opportunity to connect our molecular-scale chemistry research with broader watershed-scale processes,” Yang said. “She has played a leading role in advancing some of the most exciting directions in our research program.”

For Radakovich, the experience has been about more than publishing papers.

“I’ve gotten to work with world-class instrumentation and scientists,” she said. “It’s been such an enriching experience for my PhD and life in general. It’s been fulfilling to see how many different people living different lives are coming together in this shared space, all working to answer important scientific questions.”

Her success has also demonstrated the value of the partnership between PNNL and UNR. Since Radakovich joined the program, the collaboration has expanded to include a second UNR graduate student, creating new opportunities for additional researchers to build connections across both institutions.

“It’s fun to see them grow and be part of the team,” said Scheibe. “Sometimes they eventually become PNNL staff members, or you see the exciting things they go on to do.”

After completing her doctorate, Radakovich plans to continue using mass spectrometry to better understand real-world impacts at increasingly larger scales.