That changed in his first college chemistry class. The lecture focused on drug design, a topic that hit home for him as his father had begun a battle with cancer during his freshman year. It showed Allan the impact chemistry could have, and moreover, the impact he could have as a chemist.
That spark carried him through his bachelor’s degree at Central Washington University and into the chemistry Ph.D. program at the College of Science.
The transition into graduate school, however, came with challenges.
“There was a lot of imposter syndrome,” he admitted. “It felt like science was inaccessible again.” But he credits Oregon State’s structure and mentorship for helping him grow.
“The support at OSU was there to make the transition possible. It's built to be challenging but also familiar and exciting. You learn to have faith in the fact that OSU does a really good job, and you keep showing up,” Allan said.
Where light meets code
During his first year, Allan joined Professor Tim Zuehlsdorff’s research group, drawn to Zuehlsdorff’s expertise on quantum mechanics and his approachable mentorship style.
“One of the first meetings that I had with him, I had a question about what was going on in my lecture. To see him sipping coffee in one hand and casually writing super complicated quantum mechanics in the other, how it was like a native language to him, made me want that for myself,” Allan said.
In the professor’s lab, Allan dove into the mathematical foundations of chemistry. His research involves simulating light-molecule interactions to reveal the hidden quantum dynamics underlying chemical reactions.
“Getting a modeled graph, holding it next to what someone did in the lab and seeing that they actually match still blows me away.”
“Spectroscopy gives us a direct fingerprint about the quantum dynamics of these systems,” Allan explains. “What we’re doing is understanding how energy is absorbed and how it’s transferred, which is used a lot in other fields like quantum computing.”
Over the years, Allan has published three papers, each more intricate than the last. In one of his earlier publications, he examined a fault in a widely used spectroscopy simulation method and optimized it. His recent projects explore modeling complex nuclear effects and their role in energy transfer pathways. Throughout all of his work, he’s been passionate about making the science available via open source software packages, letting anyone curious explore high-level chemistry modeling.
“That last line where your equation finally makes sense and you can tell that it's going to work is definitely a sensation I'm hooked on,” he said. “Getting a modeled graph, holding it next to what someone did in the lab and seeing that they actually match still blows me away.”
The reward of curiosity
Winning the Martin-O’Neill Fellowship was a moment of validation for Allan and the path he’s carved out at Oregon State. He distinctly remembers the joy of opening the email with his parents nearby.
“It took about ten seconds to actually process what it meant,” he said. “Then it was fun to happy-dance around my parents’ house and explain everything. There were fist bumps.”
The fellowship will allow him to focus more fully on his research in his final year of his Ph.D., supporting the kind of late-night problem-solving that he loves most. As he prepares for graduation, Allan is exploring next steps in software development or teaching.
Nearing the end of his time at OSU, he says the most valuable lesson has been simple: follow your scientific nose.
“Stay hungry and stay curious,” he said. “Chase that curiosity and see where it takes you.”
To learn more about graduate programs in the College of Science, click here.
