Sotira Yiacoumi

Sotira Yiacoumi
sotira.yiacoumi@ce.gatech.edu
Professor
Phone
(404) 894-2639
Additional Research
Separations Technology; Water
IRI and Role
Energy > Research Community
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering

Costas Tsouris

Costas Tsouris
costas.tsouris@ce.gatech.edu
Affiliate
Phone
(404) 894-9366
Additional Research
Separations Technology
IRI and Role
Energy > Research Community
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering

Carsten Sievers

Carsten Sievers
carsten.sievers@chbe.gatech.edu

Sievers’ research interests are in heterogeneous catalysis, reactor design, applied spectroscopy, and characterization and synthesis of solid materials. Combining these interests he seeks to develop processes for the production of fuels and chemicals. His research program combines fundamental and applied research.

In fundamental studies, a suite of analytical and spectroscopic techniques (e.g. IR, NMR) is used to gain knowledge on structure-reactivity relationships of heterogeneous catalysts. Moreover, surface reactions are studied on a molecular level to identify reaction pathways over different catalysts. Information obtained from these studies provides the foundation for designing innovative catalysts.

Applied studies focus specific catalytic processes. For these projects, continuously operated flow reactor systems are designed. Different catalysts are tested for reactivity, selectivity and stability and the influence of the operating conditions is investigated. Catalyst deactivation is studied in detail to develop suitable regeneration methods or to avoid deactivation entirely by improved catalyst design. Specific projects include hydrodeoxygenation of pyrolysis oils, selective hydration of polyols, conversion of sugars into lactic acid and ethylene glycol, and selective oxidation of methane.

An important goal of Sievers’ research is to enable technology for utilization of alternative resources in order to reduce the current dependence of oil. Among these biomass is a particularly promising candidate because it is renewable and can be produced CO2 neutral.

Sievers has contributed to 80 peer reviewed publications on heterogeneous catalysis in petroleum refining (isobutane/2-butene alkylation, fluid catalytic cracking, hydrotreating), alkane activation, supported ionic liquid as catalysts for fine chemical synthesis, and biomass processing.  He is Director and Past President of the Southeastern Catalysis Society, former Program Chair and Director of the ACS Division of Catalysis Technology & Engineering, former Director of the AIChE Division of Catalysis and Reaction Engineering, and Editor of Applied Catalysis A: General.

Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
RBI Initiative Lead: Maximizing the Value of Products from Plastics Upcycling
Phone
404.385.7685
Office
ES&T 2218
Additional Research

Biomass; Biofuels; Catalysis; Advanced Characterization; Gasification; Biorefining; Lignin Upgrading; Catalysis; Energy & Water; Separation Technologies; Chemical Feedstocks; Sugars; Lignin & Hemicellulose

IRI and Role
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts > Leadership
Energy > Hydrogen Group
Energy > Research Community
Sustainable Systems
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Areas
Sustainable Systems
  • Resource and Materials Use

David S. Sholl

David S.  Sholl
david.sholl@chbe.gatech.edu

Sholl’s research focuses on materials whose macroscopic dynamic and thermodynamic properties are strongly influenced by their atomic-scale structure. Much of this research involves applying computational techniques such as molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations and quantum chemistry methods to materials of interest. Although the group's work is centered on computational methods, it involves extensive collaboration with experimental groups and industrial partners.

Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Phone
404.894.2822
Office
ES&T 2214
Additional Research

Metal-Organic Frameworks; Separation Membranes; Separations Technology; Carbon Capture; Hydrogen; SMART Manufacturing; Sustainable Manufacturing; Biochemicals

IRI and Role
Data Engineering and Science > Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Data Engineering and Science
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Joseph Sadighi

Joseph Sadighi
joseph.sadighi@chemistry.gatech.edu
Associate Professor
Phone
(404) 385-2244
Additional Research
Catalysis
IRI and Role
Energy > Research Community
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Ronald Rousseau

Ronald Rousseau
ronald.rousseau@chbe.gatech.edu
Professor
Cecil J. "Pete" Silas Chair Emeritus
Phone
(404) 894-2868
Additional Research
Separations Technology; Biofuels; Energy & Water; Separation Technologies
IRI and Role
Energy > Research Community
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering

Matthew Realff

Matthew Realff
matthew.realff@chbe.gatech.edu

Dr. Realff’s broad research interests are in the areas of process design, simulation, and scheduling. His current research is focused on the design and operation of processes that minimize waste production by recovery of useful products from waste streams, and the design of processes based on biomass inputs. In particular, he is interested in carbon capture processes both from flue gas and dilute capture from air as well as the analysis and design of processes that use biomass.

Professor
David Wang Sr. Fellow
Associate Director, RBI
SEI Lead: Circular Carbon Economy; RBI Lead: Next Generation Refinery
Phone
(404) 894-1834
Additional Research
Biofuels; Carbon Capture; Separations Technology; System Design & Optimization; SMART Manufacturing; Energy & Water; Separation Technologies; Biochemicals; Chemical Feedstocks; Sugars; Lignin & Hemicellulose; Biofuels
IRI and Role
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts > Leadership
Energy > Fellow
Energy > Research Community
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Sankar Nair

Sankar Nair
sankar.nair@chbe.gatech.edu
Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
James F. Simmons Faculty Fellow, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Associate Chair for Industry Outreach, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Phone
404.894.4826
Office
ES&T 2224
Additional Research

Nanomaterials; Biofuels; Carbon Capture; Catalysis; Separations Technology; Chemical Recovery; Energy & Water

IRI and Role
Renewable Bioproducts > Affiliated Faculty
Energy > Hydrogen Group
Energy > Research Community
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Andrew Medford

Andrew Medford
andrew.medford@chbe.gatech.edu

Dr. Medford is interested in leveraging materials informatics, statistics, and machine learning to maximize the practical impact of fundamental atomic-scale simulations in the field of surface science and catalysis. His research areas include heterogeneous catalysis, oxide surface chemistry, density functional theory, kinetic models, uncertainty quantification, and Bayesian optimization and inference.

Assistant Professor
Phone
(404) 385-5531
Additional Research
Catalysis, Biochemicals, Biorefining, Chemistry, Sugars, Molecular Simulations, Computational Biology
IRI and Role
Data Engineering and Science > Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts > Affiliated Faculty
Energy > Hydrogen Group
Energy > Research Community
Data Engineering and Science
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Ryan Lively

Ryan Lively
ryan.lively@chbe.gatech.edu

Ryan Lively was born in 1984. He spent approximately 16 years in Gainesville, FL and attended almost every home football game at The Swamp. He enrolled at Georgia Tech in 2002 as an eager Chemical Engineering student and has been a Yellow Jacket at heart ever since. During his studies at Georgia Tech, Ryan worked on research projects as diverse as ab initio quantum mechanical methods to estimate molecular binding energies, fresh Georgia peach preservation, composite spinneret design, dual-layer hollow fiber membrane spinning, and sorbent-loaded fiber spinning. Ryan introduced a rapid temperature swing adsorption (RTSA) approach for post-combustion CO2 capture, which was successfully demonstrated by adapting knowledge developed in membrane science to design unique nanoscale composite adsorbent/heat exchangers. After his Ph.D. (awarded in 2010), he spent almost 3 years as a post-doctoral research engineer at Algenol Biofuels, where he published 25 papers and filed two U.S. patent applications. His work at Algenol focused on developing energy-efficient liquid and vapor separation systems for downstream biofuel purification. 

He is now the Thomas C. DeLoach Professor in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His current research seeks to revolutionize fluid separation processes critical to the global energy and carbon infrastructure. He has a specific focus on membrane- and adsorbent-based science and technology to address some of the most difficult chemical separations. His group’s research activities range from fundamental material science and discovery to translational engineering applications focusing on making and testing separation devices. 

Ryan has received a variety of awards for his research efforts including the 2020 Allan P. Colburn Award from AIChE, and the 2022 Curtis W. McGraw Award from ASEE. He is currently an Editor for the Journal of Membrane Science and is the Secretary of the North American Membrane Society. He is the Director of the Center for Understanding & Controlling Accelerated and Gradual Evolution of Materials for Energy (UNCAGE-ME), an Energy Frontier Research Center of the US Department of Energy. He has over 160 publications in the field of separations including articles in Science, Nature and other impactful venues.

Professor
Thomas C. DeLoach Jr. Endowed Professorship
Phone
(404) 894-8795
Additional Research

Biofuels; Carbon Capture; Separations Technology; Membranes; Adsorbents;Polymers; Microporous Materials

IRI and Role
Renewable Bioproducts > Affiliated Faculty
Energy > Faculty Council
Energy > Hydrogen Group
Energy > Research Community
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering