Women's History Month Profile: Christina Lopano

Christina Lopano is a research physical scientist in NETL’s Research and Innovation Center. A mineralogist by training, Christina uses advanced geochemical characterization to inform environmental stewardship and resource management across a range of project areas.  Utilizing conventional and synchrotron-based X-ray analysis techniques, she brings more than 12 years of experience to the analysis and characterization of geochemical reactions in minerals, rocks, and cement materials associated with CO₂ storage, shale gas activities, and critical element recovery.  Most recently she has utilized her expertise in characterization to determine REE binding environments in coal combustion and refuse materials to inform environmentally sustainable extraction techniques.  

Christina received her doctorate from the Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Geosciences and her bachelor’s degree in geological sciences from Virginia Tech, summa cum laude. She joined NETL in 2009 after spending some time in the field of consulting.

Christina was recently recognized as a 125th Anniversary Fellow by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State. In December, she received the Secretary of Energy’s Excellence Award for her leadership in innovative research and development efforts to recover rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal waste streams such as fly ash and acid mine drainage.

In her free time, Christina enjoys watching and playing basketball, spending time with her family and figuring out how to take care of a puppy.

What is one highlight of your career at NETL that you would like to share?

I think one of my biggest highlights happened this past year when my team submitted a patent application for an extraction process. This topic (patents) isn’t something that we typically learn to do in the geosciences, so it was a very exciting moment when the lawyer emailed us saying the patent had been submitted. We also secured a technology commercialization project related to this patent that allows for us to collaborate with scientists and engineers in Wyoming to bring the technology into the field as a small pilot project. Related to this work, being selected for the Secretary of Energy Excellence award this past December has been a humbling and inspiring experience.  I am fortunate to be surrounded by amazing co-workers. 

What is one of your future career goals?

Go to Mars! Just kidding. I’d settle for being able to travel out to Wyoming to visit with collaborating partners to see our pilot project come to fruition in the next two years.  I also hope that I can continue to make a difference in mentoring young researchers on their path to STEM careers.

Christina Lopano