Dr. Anders B. Laursen was trained in chemistry with a focus on catalysis and nanotechnology at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). He finished his B. Sc. & Eng. under the supervision of Prof. Claus Hviid Christensen, studying the conversion of fructose in fuels and polymer precursors using zeolite supported noble metals and ionic liquids. He continued with his M. Sc. & Eng. in a joint project with Prof. Jan-Dierk Grunwaldt (Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, DTU) and Prof. Emeritus Claus Hviid Christensen (Haldor Topsøe A/S), studying the noble metal thermal and chemical stabilization by incorporation into zeolite structures and their substrate size selective properties in heterogeneous catalysis. He completed his Ph.D. in Prof. Ib Chorkendorff’s group in surface science and electrochemistry, studying catalyst materials engineered for water splitting with a particular focus on electrochemical and photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution. His studies included the application of defect rich amorphous MoS2 onto Si photocathodes as well as Si electrode protection using thin-films of TiO2, MoS2, WS2, Nb2O5, and Ta2O5. In 2013, he joined Prof. G. Charles Dismukes group at Rutgers University as a post-doctoral fellow studying the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and carbon dioxide reduction on crystalline transition metal compounds. His current work includes the synthesis of transition metal phosphides by solid state and wet chemical methods tuning their size and crystalline structure to increase catalytic activity and stability. He has co-authored more than 24 peer-reviewed papers and is a co-inventor of two licensed patent.
In 2018 he co-founded and serves as the CEO of RenewCO2 an NSF and DOE funded spin-out from Rutgers University to commercialize technology for CO2 reduction to chemicals and fuels.