At the beginning of the Fall 2011 semester, we met with all of the new faculty hires in the College of Arts and Sciences. This series of podcasts introduces them and their research interests. Susan Odom is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry. Odom, an organic and materials chemist, studies lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries to try to make them safer and increase their longevity. In her lab at UK, she synthesizes organic molecules and polymers and incorporates them into Li-ion batteries to see if they improve the batteries' performance.