PNNL

Mavis Boamah-Agyemang is an experimental geochemist within the Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Her research expertise involves probing interfacial chemistry and electron transfer processes at mineral/aqueous interfaces with ultrafast spectroscopy techniques essential for water remediation, electronic nanodevices, geochemistry, and renewable energy production. Boamah joined PNNL in 2019 as a Pauling Postdoctoral Fellow. She received her PhD in chemistry from Northwestern University in 2019, working for Professor Franz Geiger. She obtained a BA degree from Wellesley College with majors in chemistry and mathematics in 2014.

• Geochemistry
• Interfacial chemistry
• Nanoparticles
• Nonlinear optics
• X-ray absorption spectroscopy

• PhD in chemistry, Northwestern University
• BA in chemistry and mathematics, Wellesley College

• American Chemical Society
• National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE)

• Individual Performance Awards (Interface for Energy and the Environment Conference), PNNL (2025)
• Outstanding Performance Award, PCSD All-Hands, PNNL (2023)
• Outstanding Performance Award, Physical Sciences Division, PNNL (2023)
• Exceptional Contribution Award, PNNL (2022, 2025)
• Linus Pauling Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship, PNNL (2019–2022)
• PPG 5^th Year Fellowship, Northwestern University (2018)
• The Jean V. Crawford Prize in Chemistry, Wellesley College (2014)
• Davis United World Colleges’ Scholarship (2010–2014)

• Boamah, M. D., Geiger, F. M., Miller, T. F., Kim, J., “Liquid Flow Induced Power Generation Using Nanoscale Metal Layers” International Publication Number WO/2020/123005, U.S. Patent No. 12,097,015 B2 Granted on September 24th. 2024.
• Boamah, Mavis D., and Franz M. Geiger. "Liquid flow induced power generation using nanoscale metal layers." U.S. Patent No. 11,375,912. 2022.

2026

• Boamah, M. D., Kaspar, T., Zhao, Y., Droubay, T., Bowden, M., Wang, Z., Rosso, K. M. 2026. "Vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy reveals the inertness of chromium oxide (001) surfaces." Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 701, 138631. DOI:10.1016/j.jcis.2025.138631

2025

• Louie, C., Adhikari, N.M., Boamah, M.D., Clark, S.B., Tuladhar, A., Pearce, C.I., Rosso, K.M., Wang, Z. 2025. "Probing Air-Water Interfaces of Dibutyl Phosphoric Acid (HDBP) Aqueous Solutions Using Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation (vSFG) Spectroscopy," Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 137163. DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.137163.
• Speelman, R., Marker, E., Boamah, M.D., Kupferberg, J., Bye J., Engelhard, M., Zhao, Y., Martinson, A.B.F., Rosso, K.M., Geiger, F.M. 2025. "Water Flipping and the Oxygen Evolution Reaction on Fe₂O₃ Nanolayers," Nature Communications, 16 (1), 3585. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58842-y
• Yang, P., Bracco, J.N., Meneses, G.C., Yuan K., Stubbs, J., Boamah, M.D., Brahlek, M., Sassi, M., Eng, P.J., Boebinger, M.G., Borisevich, A., Wanhala, A.K., Wang, Z., Rosso, K.M., Stack, A.G., Weber, J. 2025. "Carbonation of MgO Single Crystals: Implications for Direct Air Capture of CO₂," Environmental Science & Technology 59, 7, 3484–3494 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c09713
• Louie, C., Adhikari, N.M., Boamah, M.D., Clark, S.B., Tuladhar, A., Pearce, C.I., Rosso, K.M., Wang, Z. 2025. "Probing Specific Ion Effects at Air-Aqueous Dibutyl Phosphate Interfaces Using Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation spectroscopy," Journal of Chemical Physics, 162, 054713. DOI: 10.1063/5.0235856

2024

• Boamah M.D., C.I. Pearce, D. Boglaienko, P. Chen, Z. Wang, X. Zhang, and K.M. Rosso. 2024. “Laser-Induced Photoreduction of Iron(III) Oxide Nanoparticles Enhanced by the Presence of Organic Chromophores.” J. Phys. Chem. C , 128, 12, 5215–5227. PNNL-SA-188440. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c00154
• Sassi M., O. Qafoku, M.E. Bowden, C.I. Pearce, D. Latta, Q. Miller, and M.D. Boamah, et al. 2024. "Influence of Time and Ageing Conditions on the Properties of Ferrihydrite." Environmental Science Nano 11. PNNL-SA-192693. doi:10.1039/D3EN00828B

2022

• Boamah M.D., X. Huang, A.G. Joly, Z. Wang, and K.M. Rosso. 2022. "Photocatalyzed Electron Exchange between Organic Chromophores and Hematite Nanoparticles and the Role of Solid-State Charge Transport." Environmental Science Nano 9, no. 11:4119-4135. PNNL-SA-174094. doi:10.1039/d2en00567k

2019

• Boamah M.D., E.H. Lozier, J. Kim, P.E. Ohno, C.E. Walker, T.F. Miller III, and F.M. Geiger. 2019. “Energy conversion via metal nanolayers.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116, pp. 16210-16215. doi:10.1073/pnas.1906601116
• Boamah M.D., P.E. Ohno, E.H. Lozier, J. Van Ardenne, and F.M. Geiger. 2019. “Specifics about Specific Ion Adsorption from Heterodyne-Detected Second Harmonic Generation.” Phys. Chem. B, 123, 27, 5848–5856. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b04425
• Ohno P.E., H. Chang, A.P. Spencer, Y. Liu, M.D. Boamah, H. Wang, F.M. Geiger. 2019. “Beyond the Gouy–Chapman Model with Heterodyne-Detected Second Harmonic Generation.” J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 10, 10, 2328–2334. doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00727

2018

• Boamah M.D., D. Isheim, and F.M. Geiger. 2018. “Dendritic Oxide Growth in Zerovalent Iron Nanofilms Revealed by Atom Probe Tomography.” J. Phys. Chem. C, 122, 49, 28225–28232. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b10535
• Boamah M.D., P.E. Ohno, F.M. Geiger, and K.B. Eisenthal. 2018. “Relative permittivity in the electrical double layer from nonlinear optics.” Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 148, 222808. doi:10.1063/1.5011977

2016

• Sullivan K.K., M.D. Boamah, K.E. Shulenberger, S. Chapman, K.E. Atkinson, M.C. Boyer, C.R. Arumainayagam. 2016. “Low-energy (<20 eV) and high-energy (1000 eV) electron-induced methanol radiolysis of astrochemical interest.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 460, Issue 1, Pages 664–672. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw593

2014

• Boamah M.D., K.K. Sullivan, K.E. Shulenberger, C.M. Soe, L.M Jacob, F.C. Yhee, K.E. Atkinson, M.C. Boyer, D.R. Haines, and C.R. Arumainayagam. 2014. “Low-energy electron-induced chemistry of condensed methanol: implications for the interstellar synthesis of prebiotic molecules.” Faraday Discuss., vol. 168, pp. 249-266. doi:10.1039/C3FD00158J
• Boyer M.C., M.D. Boamah, K.K. Sullivan, C.R. Arumainayagam, M. Bazin, A.D. Bass, and L. Sanche. 2014. “Dynamics of Dissociative Electron–Molecule Interactions in Condensed Methanol.” J. Phys. Chem. C, 118, 39, 22592–22600. doi:10.1021/jp506365d

2013

• Öberg K.I., M.D. Boamah, E.C. Fayolle, R.T. Garrod, C.J. Cyganowski, and F. van der Tak. 2013. “The spatial distribution of organics toward the high-mass YSO NGC 7538 IRS9.” Astrophysical Journal, vol. 771, pp. 95. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/771/2/95