David Hibbitts, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has been named a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Award winner.
This prestigious award will allow Hibbitts’ research group to explore reaction mechanisms of zeolite-catalyzed methanol-to-hydrocarbons reactions in order to improve how we convert natural gas, shale gas, and biomass resources to liquid transportation fuels and chemicals via methanol. The computational methods developed during this project will be released to the public providing researchers around the globe access to the protocols.
This award will also support the development of a three-week, on-campus internship for secondary school science teachers, where they will learn to implement computational science-based lesson plans in their classes. The project will also provide opportunities for high school and undergraduate students to participate in computational catalysis research.
CAREER awards are the NSF’s most prestigious award for junior faculty and are designed to help provide a foundation for a lifetime of scientific leadership. These awards are given to outstanding early career scientists who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research, education, and the integration of education and research.
Congratulations, Dr. Hibbitts!
