(6dh) Combining Advanced Materials and Manufacturing and Electrochemical Engineering for Building a Sustainable Future

Our planet – including our international community – must address pressing global issues such as climate change, food and water quality, and growing energy demand. Chemical engineering, including reactor design and catalysis development, are crucial to meeting these challenges, including efficient production of fuels and chemical precursors and removal of toxins and pollutants from water and food sources. Advanced electrochemical energy storage, separation and conversion devices, such as batteries, electroactive membranes, and catalytic reactors, are promising approaches to addressing these concerns using renewable energy sources. Effective engineering of these devices is complicated by limitations on the control of the electrochemical cell component morphologies across scales, thereby hindering our ability to unlock the full potential of these technologies.

My research program will focus on pioneering potential solutions to this problem by using advanced materials development and additive manufacturing techniques. These approaches can be used to design and control structures from the sub-micron through the centimeter length scales. Furthermore, the use of advanced manufacturing will allow my lab to explore novel catalyst and reactor designs that would be otherwise unattainable through other manufacturing approaches. These electrochemical studies can allow us to design experiments to accurately answer fundamental questions of the influence of environment, operating conditions and fluid dynamics on the intrinsic properties of new materials. Coupled with automatic design methodology, we can develop a systematic path toward rational design of electrochemical devices to address some of the most pressing needs of the planet.

Teaching Interests:

My objective as an educator is to build a framework and culture for not only learning, but creative and critical thinking, innovative application of the concepts conveyed, and widespread service to others. When I teach, my objective is for my learners to gain understanding, apply knowledge to new areas, and utilize learning as a tool for aiding society. As instructors, we are uniquely positioned to equip the engineers of tomorrow with the technical foundation they need to be able to evaluate, assess and address the daunting challenges of energy, water, food, and climate facing our planet. Furthermore, I believe as leaders in education, we are called to not only design courses and curriculum that engage students from a plethora of backgrounds and experiences, but to also impart a culture of service within all students. By combining strong engineering principles with a mentality that focuses on aiding others, we enable students to become the best engineers and leaders and to embody a paradigm of progress and service.