(7fa) Structure-Function Relations in Bifunctional Catalysis: Kinetic, Spectroscopic, and Theoretical Approaches

Modern society relies on catalytic chemical transformations of simple molecules and varied feedstocks to agrochemicals, therapeutics, plastics, and fuels. Traditional heterogeneous catalysts are robust and easily recovered and regenerated but often suffer from poor selectivity that requires both energy-intensive separations for product streams and the disposal of the significant quantities of hazardous waste. Conversely, homogeneous catalysts often afford precise chemo- and regioselectivity, but they suffer from short lifetimes, difficult recovery, and poor regenerability. The theme central to my research interests is examining and developing materials interfacing homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis that leverage the unique advantages of each (e.g., selectivity & specificity, stability & ease-of-processing, respectively) to investigate and develop green, atom-efficient chemical transformations relevant to the synthesis of bulk and fine chemicals.

My dissertation work with Professor Enrique Iglesia at the University of California, Berkeley focused on understanding mechanisms of alkane isomerization and β-scission on bifunctional metal-acid catalysts. I used kinetic, spectroscopic, and computational techniques and developed reaction-transport formalisms, necessary to dissect the ubiquitous and unavoidable consequences of diffusion on reaction rates and selectivities, to establish structure-function relations for mesoporous and microporous solid acid catalysts. These solid acid catalysts had well-defined chemical connectivity and structure, which permitted rigorous kinetic analysis and comparison to theory (DFT). I will learn a suite of complementary skills in my postdoctoral research position, which will involve surface organometallic chemistry; I will rationally design, synthesize, and characterize hybrid organic-inorganic materials with well-defined surface species as catalytic sites. The skills and techniques I will learn here will allow me to synthesize catalysts

Teaching Interests:

In addition to my teaching experience as a graduate student instructor for three upper-division undergraduate core chemical engineering courses (Introduction to Chemical Process Analysis; Transport and Separations Processes; Transport Processes), I have been a research mentor for an undergraduate researcher at UC Berkeley. Teaching and mentorship, alongside scholarship in research, are of great importance to me. My teaching philosophy and methods combine insights from pedagogical research with a first-principles problem-solving approach to promote and assess student learning.