Ian McCrum, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York, and his research group have been awarded an American Chemical Society (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) Doctoral New Investigator grant. The $110,000 grant will fund research on designing catalysts for the electrochemical conversion of methane in natural gas into valuable fuels and chemicals.
The team’s project will use density functional theory computational modeling to model the behavior of atoms and molecules at the atomic scale, to predictively design more active and selective catalysts for electrochemical methane activation, said McCrum in a press release.
The PRF is an endowed fund, managed by the ACS that supports fundamental research directly related to petroleum or fossil fuels at nonprofit institutions (generally colleges and universities) in the United States and other countries.
The Doctoral New Investigator grants program aims to promote the careers of young faculty by supporting research of high scientific caliber and to enhance the career opportunities of their undergraduate/graduate students, and postdoctoral associates through the research experience.
