(6kg) Design of Dynamic and Solvated Reaction Environments for Enhanced Conversion and Selectivity with Heterogenous Catalysts

My research interests combine experimental and theoretical approaches to understand heterogeneous catalytic phenomena in complex solvation environments and reaction environments subjected to oscillatory perturbations of temperature and pressure setpoints or feed composition. Through fundamental investigations of these reaction environments, my aim is to identify additional routes for improving chemical synthesis reactions including: 1) tuning of the solvent-catalyst interface and 2) optimizing each step in the catalytic cycle via cyclic variation of reaction conditions.

Solvent selection and heterogeneous catalyst design are often optimized independently, however, the observed reactivity of a given catalyst may vary significantly in the presence of different solvents. In addition to solvating reactants and products, solvents can enhance or inhibit reactions at heterogeneous catalysts surfaces by interacting with adsorbates and transition states and by changing the electronic structure of the catalyst surface. Addition of a third phase, such as a gas phase or a secondary liquid phase, could form unique multi-phase interfaces at the catalyst surface, creating asymmetric reaction sites that enhance stereoselectivity or enantioselectivity. I am interested in characterizing reactions at these solid-liquid and multi-phase interfaces to generate design criteria for catalysts and condensed-phase reaction environments to be used for chemical synthesis.

Variable-volume reactors and valve configurations that allow alternating pulse injections of reactants could provide routes for overcoming conversion-selectivity trade-offs that arise during steady-state operation of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions. The temporal variation of pressure, temperature, and feed concentration could be designed such that each step of the catalytic cycle for the desired reaction is optimized while the conditions that lead to byproduct formation are minimized. I am interested in characterizing adsorption, surface reaction, and desorption phenomena for these reactor systems and designing catalytic materials that are optimized for operating under dynamic reaction conditions.

Teaching Interests:

I am very eager to develop and teach courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level and provide mentoring to students and post-docs in a research group. Using examples from my own teachers and mentors and my experiences as a graduate student instructor, I look forward to applying active and cooperative learning techniques to help students master technical content. I am comfortable teaching all the undergraduate chemical engineering courses, and I have experience teaching Separation Processes, Reaction Engineering, and undergraduate Chemical Engineering Lab. In addition to helping students master technical skills in chemical engineering, my goal in both the classroom and research group is for students to appreciate the societal impact of engineering careers and develop soft skills such as clear and respectful communication, creative thinking, leadership, and teamwork, which will aid them in their future careers and relationships.

Postdoctoral Projects:

“Methane activation and upgrading to value-added chemicals”

“Characterization of surface species during benzene hydroxylation over a NiO on Ceria-Zirconia catalyst”

“Kinetic modeling of cyclopentadiene dimerization in the presence of C₅ alkenes and alkadienes”

2018-present, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Postdoctoral Advisors: Carsten Sievers and Charles Liotta

Doctoral Dissertation:

“Heterogeneous Catalyst Stability in Hydrothermal Media”

2013-2018, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Doctoral Advisors: Phillip E. Savage and Levi T. Thompson