Our objective is to discover and design new catalysts and catalytic processes that open new pathways for energy conversion to produce liquid fuels and chemicals from alternatives to petroleum, especially renewable biomass. We seek to understand how the nanoscale structure and chemical composition of a catalyst relate to the macroscopically observable activity and selectivity for desirable chemical reactions.

We use a combination of experimental and theoretical techniques including in-situ spectroscopy, quantum mechanical modeling (Density Functional Theory), synthesis, characterization, kinetic measurements, and reactor modeling to develop our understanding of catalytic materials. In addition, we perform technoeconomic analysis to calculate efficiency and profitability of large-scale energy conversion processes based on catalytic and thermochemical technologies.