Faglige interesser
My research interest lies in the investigation and understanding of complex inter-dependencies affecting the durability and specificity of heterogeneous catalysts for individual reactions; The choice of solvent, substrate and activation/reaction conditions can have a tremendous impact on the ultimate capability of a catalyst to perform well.
My focus in this area has been shaped by my previous research experiences and I believe the selective oxidation of methane promises to be a field well suited to my interests. We intend to unravel some of the complexities and unknowns in this field using zeolite synthesis to generate model systems and thereby study the nuclearity and location of active sites.
Bakgrunn
Prior to my stay at the University of Oslo I spent nearly two years at the University of Delaware as a Post-doctoral researcher working with Prof. Raul Lobo. During my time there we investigated selective reduction and selective dehydration pathways for the efficient production of vinyl monomers ranging from furanic to phenolic and ferrocenic compounds. Additionally, I also worked on a RAPID ( Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment ) project focusing on a one pot microchannel reactor for the direct synthesis of dimethylfuran from glucose. This was done in collaboration with the research group of Prof. Dion Vlachos.
I obtained my PhD from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in July 2017 working under the guidance of Prof. Johannes Lercher and Prof. Miroslaw Derewinski. The majority of the work was performed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, Richland, WA, USA). My research focus was understanding the zeolite chemistry under conditions relevant to biomass valorization, namely in the presence of hot liquid water. It dealt with introducing post-synthetic improvements as well as evaluating a realistic toolbox to generate stable zeolites for these operating conditions. In addition to my main work on zeolite stability I also had the opportunity to work on studying zeolite synthesis with in situ NMR and XAS techniques as well as preparing improved zeolites for NOx abatement and CO2 adsorption in collaboration with Feng Gao, Janos Szanyi and Chuck Peden as well as Radha Motkuri, respectively.
Anerkjennelse
Elected Chair, Gordon Research Seminar, Nanoporous Materials, 2019
Discussion Leader, Gordon Research Conference, Nanoporous Materials, 2019
Thematic Speaker Reimbursement – Functional Porous Materials for Sustainable Energy, ACS
Outstanding Performance Award, Physical Science Division (PNNL)
Poster award (2nd place), Pacific Northwest Chapter, American Vacuum Society