(4fc) Engineering the Electrochemical Susceptibility of Reactive Systems

I graduated from Bucknell University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, where I studied polymer composite recycling with Katsuyuki Wakabayashi. Upon graduation, I joined BASF Corporation as an engineer in their Professional Development Program, where I engaged in surfactant development, capital project management, and heterogeneous catalysis research. After completing the program, I began graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh with James McKone and Giannis Mpourmpakis. In my PhD, I combined computational and experimental techniques to study heterogeneous catalysis. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher working with Karthish Manthiram at the California Institute of Technology, where I investigate the influence of applied potentials on gene expression in bacteria.

Research Interests

I am generally interested in how electrochemical potentials can be used to modulate the behavior of complex, interacting systems. Such systems can occur across a variety of length scales: examples include a collection of atoms, a network of reacting molecules, a community of microbial cells, or a series of reactors. My specific interest is in the application of computational models and targeted experimental techniques to develop a deep understanding of these systems’ electrochemical susceptibility. What properties are influenced by electrochemical potentials? How do they change with varied bias? And importantly, why do they change?

In my PhD, I developed a catalytic scheme to electrochemically activate hydrogen from water and deliver it to target substrates. In this context, I explored the intersection of thermal and electrochemical catalysis to demonstrate metal oxide hydrogen bronzes as functional hydrogen mediators. My work investigated the fundamental thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and kinetics that govern hydrogen transfers by metal oxides under applied electrochemical bias.

In my postdoctoral research, I currently study and engineer electrochemically tunable gene expression in bacteria. Specifically, I examine the genetic and biomolecular mechanisms which afford cells the ability to sense electrochemical potentials in their environment. I also design and deploy electrogenetic circuits—those which can be electrochemically modulated—to endow cells with electrode-dependent behaviors.

Teaching Interests

The opportunity to facilitate student learning, growth, and development is core to what drives me to pursue a career as chemical engineering faculty. I have a firm belief that science and engineering is a communal and shared endeavor, and central to that community is the education of new scientists and engineers. If we are to be “good” scientists and engineers, then we have a responsibility to openly and fully share knowledge with others. The particular approach I take to teaching is rooted in the experience I had as an undergraduate at Bucknell University. The high faculty:student ratio and small class sizes afforded the opportunity to develop personal relationships with my professors. My sense of belonging directly enhanced my learning, and my experience in that environment has solidified my desire to build a welcoming and inclusive classroom community. In terms of instruction, I plan to present course material through inductive teaching methods, such as just-in-time teaching and problem-/inquiry-based learning.

I would feel comfortable and would enjoy teaching any course in the chemical engineering curriculum. I have a particular interest in electrochemistry and kinetics, but also have a fondness for transport phenomena and applied mathematics.

Selected Research Works and Patents

Wei, X, Miu, EV, Xu, X, Liu, JC, & Maurer, S. (2024). Low Temperature NOx Adsorber with Enhanced Regeneration Efficiency. U.S. Patent No. 11,890,600. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Hong S, Kauppinen MM, Miu EV, Mpourmpakis G, Grönbeck H (2023). “First-Principles Microkinetic Modeling of Partial Methane Oxidation of Graphene-Stabilized Single-Atom Fe-Catalysts.” Catalysis Science & Technology, 13, 3527-3536.

Miu EV, McKone JR, Mpourmpakis G (2023). “Global and Local Connectivities Describe Hydrogen Intercalation in Metal Oxides.” Physical Review Letters, 131(10), 108001.

Abdelgaid M, Miu EV, Kwon H, Kauppinen MM, Grönbeck H, Mpourmpakis G (2023). “Multiscale Modeling Reveals Aluminum Nitride as an Efficient Propane Dehydrogenation Catalyst.” Catalysis Science & Technology, 13, 3527-3536.

Miu EV, McKone JR, Mpourmpakis G (2022). “The Sensitivity of Metal Oxide Electrocatalysis to Bulk Hydrogen Intercalation: Hydrogen Evolution on Tungsten Oxide.” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 144(14), 6420-6433.

Liu, JC, Miu, EV, Xu, X, Wei, X, & Maurer, S. (2022). Diesel Oxidation Catalysts for Ultralow NOx Control. U.S. Patent No. 11,413,607. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Miu EV, Mpourmpakis G, McKone JR (2020). “Predicting the Energetics of Hydrogen Intercalation in Metal Oxides using Acid-Base Properties.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 12(40), 44658-44670.

Miu EV, McKone JR (2019). “Comparisons of WO3 Reduction to HxWO3 Under Thermochemical and Electrochemical Control.” Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 7(41), 23756-23761.