Research Interests -
As a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering, I spent the last several years immersed in the art of building catalysts atom by atom — not just to understand how they work, but to make them better, smarter, and more selective for real-world chemical processes. Under the joint guidance of Dr. T. Randall Lee and Dr. Jeffrey D. Rimer, my research interests focus on the rational design of multifunctional zeolite catalysts for hydrocarbon upgrading reactions, with an emphasis on heteroatom incorporation and active site engineering to precisely control product selectivity. Specifically, my current work investigates the role of gallium speciation in zeolites and how it can be leveraged to enhance methanol-to-hydrocarbons (MTH) tandem catalysis. I have developed a dual-bed catalytic system in which a gallosilicate zeolite with weak acidity is used upstream to dehydrate methanol into dimethyl ether (DME) or related intermediates, followed by a downstream aluminosilicate zeolite (e.g., ZSM-5) that promotes hydrocarbon formation. This approach allows for stepwise reaction control and significantly improves selectivity toward light olefins and other valuable products while minimizing coke formation. A key innovation in my research is the systematic control of gallium speciation—whether Ga is present as framework-substituted species, extra-framework ions, or surface gallium oxide clusters—through both direct hydrothermal synthesis and post-synthetic treatment. I correlate these species with catalytic performance, showing that higher Ga loadings lead to extra-framework Ga species which suppress carbon–carbon coupling, favoring DME formation, while lower loadings with isolated Ga sites more closely mimic Brønsted acid activity and enable hydrocarbon production. I also benchmarked gallium oxide on siliceous zeolites and mesoporous silicas and found they exclusively produce DME, further confirming the necessity of the zeolite framework for hydrocarbon-forming reactions. My work bridges fundamental material design with reactor engineering and has direct industrial relevance for olefin production from alternative feedstocks such as natural gas- or biomass-derived methanol. Technically, I bring expertise in zeolite synthesis, heteroatom incorporation, spectroscopic and structural characterization (XRD, BET, NH₃-TPD, UV-vis, FTIR, SEM), reactor operation, and reaction pathway analysis. Beyond the techniques, I bring a mindset that blends curiosity with application — I want to understand mechanisms, but I also want to make things that scale. My research philosophy is rooted in establishing structure–function relationships that guide rational catalyst design, with a clear eye toward scalability and commercial viability. I am excited to take this experience into an industrial R&D setting where innovation meets implementation. I am currently looking for opportunities where I can contribute to solving high-impact problems in catalysis, process intensification, or sustainable chemistry. If you're looking for someone who knows how to build a catalyst from the inside out — and loves doing it — I’d love to connect.
