Christopher Cahill was born in Huntington, NY and grew up on an apple orchard in nearby Fort Salonga. His education includes a BS in Geochemistry from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia (1993) and a PhD in Chemistry from SUNY-Stony Brook (1999). He joined the faculty of GW in 2000 after a one-year post-doctoral position in the Environmental Mineralogy group at the University of Notre Dame. He is an expert in solid-state and materials chemistry with a particular emphasis on X-ray crystallography. His synthesis expertise includes high temperature techniques, as well as hydrothermal systems that produce novel hybrid materials with relevance to the nuclear fuel cycle. He has published over 150 peer reviewed papers in a range of areas related to the synthesis and structural characterization of materials and minerals. Current research areas include exploring the behavior of uranium and transuranic species under environmentally relevant conditions, as well as the synthesis of lanthanide containing sensor materials. Chris is the first physical scientist at GW to hold a joint appointment in the Elliott School of International Affairs, where he develops and delivers technical curricula targeting non-technical nuclear policy professionals. He is a recipient of the prestigious NSF CAREER Award (2004), the Bender Teaching Award (2005), a Fulbright Scholarship (Cardiff University, UK; 2008) and the Trachtenberg Prize for Teaching (2013). He is a past President of The American Crystallographic Association (2014-2016), a member of the Cosmos Club and has held visiting researcher positions at the Carnegie Institution of Washington and Argonne National Laboratory. Chris spent a sabbatical (2015-2016) as the American Institute of Physics State Department Science Fellow at the US State Department’s Office of Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism on the Nuclear Forensics Team. Back at GW, he was a member of the 17th Presidential Search Committee and for Spring 2018, he was the Acting Director of the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy. Chris is currently the Chair of the Chemistry Department. While serving as the Chair of the Chemistry Department he was elected to the 2021 class of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows and the recipient of the 2023 Hillebrand Prize.
Some Press & Special Mentions
Christopher Cahill is the recipient of the 2024 Oscar and Shoshanna Tractenberg Prize for Scholarship (Research). This award recognizing outstanding research accomplishments. The award is meant to honor faculty scholarship and demonstrate the George Washington University’s commitment to research and creative endeavors.
Christopher L. Cahill was awarded the 2023 Hillebrand Prize in recognition of his contributions to the science of chemistry. The Chemical Society of Washington announced Professor Christopher L. Cahill as the winner of the 2023 Hillebrand Prize in recognition of illuminating research in condensed phase actinide chemistry and crystal engineering harnessing organic-actinide interactions, which inform efforts in environmental remediation, separations and nuclear forensics.
Christopher Cahill Elected AAAS Fellow, 2022
CCAS Celebration Speech, May 14, 2011
EJIC Author Profile. Sept. 25, 2017
Sceptical Chymist Nature Reactions Blog
ACS Chemist Profile 2014