I am pleased to announce that Professor Bruce Gates of the University of California at Davis is the recipient of the 2025 NACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Catalysis. This award is jointly sponsored by ExxonMobil Research and Engineering and Clariant, and is administered by the North American Catalysis Society. The award consists of a plaque and a prize of $5,000. The plaque will be presented during the closing banquet ceremonies at the 2025 North American Meeting of the Catalysis Society (NAM29 in Atlanta).
The NACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Catalysis recognizes an individual who advanced catalytic chemistry or engineering by significant service to the catalysis community in addition to technical accomplishments.
Prof. Gates is recognized as a statesman advocating catalysis around the world, known for mentoring in academia and industry, authoring widely used textbooks, editing influential publications, serving universities, institutes, and government agencies, and fostering collaborations between industry, national laboratories, and academia (recognized by the Malcolm E. Pruitt Award in 2006). He served as vice-chair of the ICC 2020, co-chair of the NAM 2009, and chair of the 1990 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Catalysis. He was on the DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (for 14 years), on the GRC Council (for 8 years), and on the NACS Board of Directors (for 24 years), where he led nominating activities fostering membership of women and under-represented groups among NACS leadership. He co-founded the University of Delaware’s Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, and, more recently, the University of California node of the Center for Rational Catalyst Synthesis (NSF IUCRC). During his five-decade-plus career, many of his former students, postdocs, and mentees have attained influential positions, including a university presidency, industry CEO and CTO positions, and distinguished faculty positions worldwide. Some Gates mentees wrote a summary of the group’s research accomplishments for ACS Catalysis (2020, 10, 11912–11935).
Jingguang Chen
President, North American Catalysis Society
In Memoriam: John R. Monnier (1948–2024)
Dr. John R. Monnier passed away on April 6, 2024 at the age of 76. John was Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina, which he joined in 2004 after retiring as a Technology Fellow at the Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, Tennessee.
John graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, and a master’s in Heterogeneous Catalysis at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with Prof. George W. Keulks in the area of catalytic olefin epoxidation, in 1972. Thereafter, John began his professional career in the Corporate Research Laboratories of Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY. He returned to UW-Milwaukee in 1976 on an academic leave of absence and received his Ph.D. in Heterogeneous Catalysis in 1978, again with Prof. Keulks. John resumed his work at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, and transferred in 1993 to Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, where he worked until his retirement from industry.
Dr. Monnier’s study of the epoxidation of higher olefins began in 1986, and culminated in his discovery of a catalyst system which selectively epoxidizes butadiene to 3,4‑epoxybutene using molecular oxygen in the gas phase, which represented the first advancement of olefin epoxidation using molecular oxygen in more than 50 years. This work was recognized in 1988 with the C. E. K. Mees Award, given annually for the most outstanding research conducted at Kodak Research Laboratories. In 1993, he was named Outstanding Researcher for the Northeast Tennessee Division of the American Chemical Society.
Commercialized in 1997, the epoxidation of butadiene, and downstream transformation of epoxybutene, uses several novel catalytic processes, including the isomerization reactions of epoxybutene to 2,5‑dihydrofuran and 2,5‑dihydrofuran to 2,3‑dihydrofuran, as well as the remarkably selective hydrogenation of epoxybutene to epoxybutane. Monnier is either the sole or co-discoverer of each of these reactions, for which he received more than 25 patents.
The accolades for Dr. Monnier’s research and development in epoxidation continued in force. In 1998, he was named Outstanding Industrial Innovator by the American Chemical Society. In 2000, Monnier received the Herman Pines Award from the Chicago Catalysis Club. He was awarded the 2002 Ciapetta Lectureship in Catalysis, one of the four major biennial awards of the North American Catalysis Society.
The progression of John’s physical disability – he had muscular dystrophy – precipitated a move from industry to academia in 2004. At the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, John excelled at the new calling of mentoring graduate students, applying his unparalleled combination of industrial relevance, practical knowledge, intense wit, and self-effacing humor. Though in a wheelchair, John’s spirit soared; coming down the hallway his raucous voice was always heard before he was seen.
At USC, John continued his work in epoxidation catalysis, achieving a new understanding of the electronic role of alkali promoters. He developed a new method to synthesize supported bimetallic nanoparticles based on electroless deposition, a process he had seen employed at Kodak on bulk materials, and he continued to refine characterization methods including in-situ x‑ray diffraction and chemisorption. John’s industrial background and expertise in heterogeneous catalyst preparation, characterization, and evaluation lent great credence to USC’s NSF-supported industrial consortium, the Center for Rational Catalyst Synthesis (CeRCaS).
And the national awards did not stop. In 2017, John received the American Institute of Chemical Engineer’s Chemical and Reaction Engineering Practice Award, and most significantly in 2017, Professor Monnier was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. In 2022, John received the Excellence in Catalysis Award from the Philadelphia Catalysis Society.
In his twenty years at USC, Dr. Monnier advised twenty-two Ph.D. students and numerous visiting scholars, postdocs, and undergraduate students. These mentees and his academic and industrial colleagues and staff will remember John with tremendous affection as a brilliant catalytic scientist whose numerous accomplishments and accolades were always exceeded by his humility and his humanity.
JR Regalbuto
April 11, 2024
Aleksey Yezerets is the recipient of the 2024 F. G. Ciapetta Lectureship in Catalysis
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Aleksey Yezerets of Cummins is the recipient of the 2024 F. G. Ciapetta Lectureship in Catalysis. The award is administered by the North American Catalysis Society and sponsored by the W. R. Grace & Co. It is to be awarded biennially in even-numbered years. The award consists of a plaque and an honorarium of $5,000. The recipient may be invited to lecture at some of the local catalysis clubs during the two-year period covered by this award.
Over his career at Cummins, Dr. Yezerets has provided critical contributions to several generations of novel and first-to-market catalytic technologies that are reducing emissions in millions of commercial vehicles worldwide. Every system represents a transiently operated chemical plant that includes multiple catalytic reactors, sensors, and actuators, directed by complex control and diagnostic systems. Dr. Yezerets and his team have focused their research on the understanding and advancement of the real-world performance, degradation, and recovery mechanisms of NOx Storage and Reduction, Selective Catalytic Reduction, Methane-based three-way catalysts, and many auxiliary technologies. The resulting catalyst operation, regeneration methods, models, diagnostics, and control algorithms have proven key to emission compliance spanning many years in the field, even at elevated levels of contaminants often encountered in global applications. The hallmark of Dr. Yezerets’ research career has been his ability to develop best-in-class applied science teams, and to build industrial, academic, and national lab partnerships that address topics of a fundamental nature to advance application goals. He has impacted the broader field of catalysis through an outstanding record of publications, patents, and mentorship. Today Dr. Yezerets is expanding upon these achievements by contributing to industry decarbonization via electrified, hydrogen-powered, and related technologies.
Congratulations!
Jingguang Chen
President, North American Catalysis Society
Travel Award for Attending the 18th ICC — Extended Deadline
The North American Catalysis Society is excited to announce supplemental funding opportunities for attendees of the 18th International Congress on Catalysis (18th ICC), scheduled for July 14–19, 2024, in Lyon, France. This initiative is generously supported by federal agencies, including the NSF and DOE. Candidates need to be currently enrolled in US research institutions.
Purpose of Funding:
These funds are allocated to partially reimburse flight and registration expenses.
Priority Candidates:
1. Faculty members within their first four years of ladder-rank appointments, actively engaged in catalysis research at U.S. institutions.
2. Postdoctoral researchers and graduate students within U.S. institutions who will present oral or poster contributions at the 18th ICC.
Application Deadline Extended to March 31st, 2024.
Call for Nominations:
We encourage self-nominations of faculty members, as well as nominations of eligible postdocs and graduate students by their research advisors. Your participation in and contributions to the 18th ICC are important for highlighting the research efforts from the US catalysis community.
Please use the link below to submit your application.
https://forms.gle/4C5V2Ctx7m2xdXuV6
Announcement of 2023 Robert Burwell Lectureship in Catalysis
I am pleased to announce that Professor Umit Ozkan of the Ohio State University is the recipient of the 2023 Robert Burwell Lectureship in Catalysis, sponsored by Johnson Matthey and administered by the North American Catalysis Society. It is awarded biennially in odd-numbered years. The award consists of a plaque and an honorarium of $5,000, which will be presented at the award banquet at the NAM28 meeting. An additional $4,500 is available to cover travelling expenses in North America. The awardee is expected to lecture at many of the local catalysis clubs.
The Robert Burwell Lectureship in Catalysis is given in recognition of substantial contributions to one or more areas in the field of catalysis with emphasis on discovery and understanding of catalytic phenomena, catalytic reaction mechanisms and identification and description of catalytic sites and species. The awardee is selected on the basis of his/her contributions to the catalytic literature and the current timeliness of these research contributions. The recipient may be invited to (1) visit and lecture to each of the affiliated Clubs/Societies with which mutually satisfactory arrangements can be made and (2) prepare a review paper(s) for publication covering these lectures. Publication will be in an appropriate periodical.
Professor Umit Ozkan is recognized for her pioneering work that bridged the heterogeneous catalysis and electrocatalysis fields. Her group was the first to show that nitrogen-doped carbon nanostructures (CNx) had promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in acidic medium. Combining spectroscopy techniques, metal-free synthesis methods, and probe molecules, they were able to identify the active sites and provide a mechanistic understanding of the ORR. Recently, her group has also been exploring the use of CNx materials as oxygen depolarized cathode electrodes as well as in bromine evolution reactions. Ozkan also expanded her work to mid-temperature electrocatalysis in solid oxide electrolytic cells for applications such as oxidative dehydrogenation of lower alkanes or oxidative coupling of methane as well as co-electrolysis of CO2 and H2O on perovskites. More recently, they have been working on mid-temperature electrocatalytic NH3 production from N2 and H2O, providing a route for distributed NH3 production as an alternative to the Haber-Bosch process. Dr. Ozkan’s contributions to heterogeneous catalysis include studies in oxidation catalysis, environmental catalysis, hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis reactions as well as reforming reactions. In all of these studies, her focus has been understanding the nature of active sites and tailoring the surface properties to achieve desired catalytic functions.
Jingguang Chen
President, North American Catalysis Society
Johannes Lercher is the recipient of the 2023 Michel Boudart Award for the Advancement of Catalysis
I am pleased to announce that Professor Johannes Lercher of TU München and PNNL is the recipient of the 2023 Michel Boudart Award for the Advancement of Catalysis. The Award is sponsored by the Haldor Topsøe Company, and is administered jointly by the North American Catalysis Society and the European Federation of Catalysis Societies. It is awarded biennially in odd-numbered years. Professor Lercher will give plenary lectures at the meetings of the North American Catalysis Society (NAM) and the European Federation of Catalysis Societies (EuropaCat). The award consists of a plaque and a prize of $6,000. The plaque will be presented during the closing banquet ceremonies at the 2023 North American Meeting of the Catalysis Society (NAM28 in Providence).
The Michel Boudart Award recognizes and encourages individual contributions to the elucidation of the mechanism and active sites involved in catalytic phenomena and to the development of new methods or concepts that advance the understanding and/or practice of heterogeneous catalysis.
Professor Lercher is recognized for seminal contributions to define and quantify the centers that bind reacting molecules, to characterize the environment around these centers, and to quantify the impact that the solid and/or mobile environment has on the reacting molecules. Addressing this complexity required pioneering work in characterizing “simultaneously” the solid as well as mobile phase under conditions relevant for the catalytic transformation. The approach enabled, however, to tie together understanding of the impact of liquid-solid interfaces on the reacting molecules and the additional influences by external electric potentials. The profound analysis of the catalytic phenomena at the microscopic level, studying the influence of short- and long-range interactions between the reactant molecules and the solid catalysts has strongly influenced our way to understand how reactions occur on solid catalysts. The holistic approach linking advanced physicochemical characterization of catalysts and their action with detailed kinetic analyses has opened a new paradigm to catalysis research.
Please join me in congratulating Professor Lercher!
Jingguang Chen
President, North American Catalysis Society
Announcement of 2023–2024 Paul H. Emmett Award Winners
I am pleased to announce the winners of the 2023–2024 Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis. This award recognizes and encourages individual contributions in the field of catalysis with emphasis on discovery and understanding of catalytic phenomena, proposal of catalytic reaction mechanisms and identification of and description of catalytic sites and species. The award winner must not have turned 46 on April 1st of the award year. The award is sponsored by WR Grace & Co and managed by the North American Catalysis Society. The award consists of a plaque and an honorarium of $5,000. The plaque will be presented during the closing banquet ceremonies at the 2023 North American Meeting of the Catalysis Society (NAM28), scheduled to be held on June 18–23, 2023, in Providence. The awardees will also present a Plenary Lecture at the NAM meeting.
The NACS Board has recently approved to honor up to two Emmett awardees every two years. The two awardees for the 2023–2024 cycle are (listed alphabetically):
2023 Winner: Professor Aditya Bhan, University of Minnesota
2024 Winner: Professor Yuriy Román-Leshkov, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor Aditya Bhan and his group are recognized for bringing analytical formalisms and detailed experimentation to elicit kinetic and mechanistic information, verified against thermodynamic measurements and strictures, into hydrocarbon reaction systems of significant complexity and practical utility. His group has provided critical insight into how and why catalytic processes occur, both as they form desired products and as they lead to unselective or deactivating side paths for a number of important industrial catalytic processes including methanol-to-hydrocarbons catalysis, non-oxidative and oxidative alkane conversion, partial oxidation of olefins, hydrodeoxygenation, and dehydration. These studies have brought concepts of chemical kinetics and thermodynamics to derive fundamental insights into catalysis on zeolites, carbides, oxides, metals, and MOFs. His group has brought new concepts and definitions to the kinetic analysis of heterogeneous catalytic systems in developing a kinetic description of site ensembles on catalytic surfaces, in demonstrating rate functions of an overall reaction with many elementary steps can be written in a form analogous to the microscopic law of mass action, and in developing mathematical models describing rates and reversibility in complex reaction networks.
Professor Yuriy Román-Leshkov and his group combines catalyst synthesis, kinetic studies, and reactor design to study chemical transformations related to the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. A distinctive focus has been the design of reactive environments in solid catalysts to improve activity and selectivity by using electric fields, confinement, and site cooperativity as means to control reaction rates. His work on Lewis acid zeolites has improved our understanding of how the metal center, intrapore confinement of reactants/solvents, and framework polarity influence rates for the conversion of bio-derived oxygenates in the liquid phase. This includes transfer hydrogenations, isomerization-lactonization sequences, and C‑C coupling reactions of carbohydrates, furan-derivatives, and keto-acids, to produce a wide range of value-added chemicals. Yuriy has made important contributions to the areas of sustainable aviation fuels and plastic waste deconstruction through his work on selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin into aromatics and hydrogenolysis of polyolefinic plastic waste with earth-abundant catalysts. Lastly, his collaborative efforts to bridge concepts in thermo- and electrocatalysis have resulted in foundational insights into how interfacial electric fields influence thermochemical reaction rates even for systems disconnected from external wiring.
Congratulations to Professor Bhan and Professor Román-Leshkov!
Jingguang Chen
President, North American Catalysis Society
Stephen R. Schmidt is the recipient of the 2023 Eugene J. Houdry Award in Applied Catalysis
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Stephen R. Schmidt of W.R. Grace is the recipient of the 2023 Eugene J. Houdry Award in Applied Catalysis. This award is sponsored by Clariant and is administered by the North American Catalysis Society. The award consists of a plaque and a prize of $5,000. The plaque will be presented during the closing banquet ceremonies at the 2023 North American Meeting of the Catalysis Society (NAM28 in Providence).
The purpose of the Eugene J. Houdry Award is to recognize and encourage individual contributions in the field of catalysis with emphasis on the development of new and improved catalysts and processes representing outstanding advances in their useful applications.
Dr. Stephen R. Schmidt, Research Fellow at W.R. Grace, has been with the company since 1985. The centerpiece of Steve’s career has been acquiring leading expertise in hydrogenation catalysis and applying it to the development of new Raney® base metal catalysts. These catalysts are critical to the production of large volume chemicals such as the diamine monomer of Nylon 6,6, toluene diamine monomer for polyurethanes, the diol monomer of elastane (i.e., Spandex®) and sugar alcohols. They are also robust in both fixed bed and slurry reactor applications. Steve has also contributed to the science of characterizing the surfaces of these unique catalytic materials, by developing protocols for contending with nascent hydrogen associated with Raney® catalysts. He has also made ground-breaking contributions to multi-metallic Raney® catalysts including precious metal-modified Raney® catalysts and Fe-modified Raney® catalysts. Steve’s career bridges across several business units at Grace, including the development of high surface area silica, alumina, rare earths, and supports for polymerization and automotive exhaust catalysts. A hallmark of Steve’s career is his collaborative approach that has facilitated the development of new technology for both the catalyst manufacturer and the purchaser of his company’s catalyst products.
Jingguang Chen
President, NACS
Stuart Soled is the recipient of the 2023 NACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Catalysis
The NACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Catalysis recognizes an individual who advanced catalytic chemistry or engineering by significant service to the catalysis community in addition to technical accomplishments.
Statesmanship, scholarship, and service to our community describe the career of Stu Soled. From the trenches of industry, he has led in matters of science, technology, and pedagogy, while mentoring students in industry and academia. His eloquent lectures provide a model of rigor in the practice of catalysis, but also show the growth of human talent is inseparable from research achievements. His broad technological impact (100+ patents) and conceptual contributions to the scholarly literature are outstanding.
His nurturing and guidance in the evolution of academic centers, projects, and staff illustrate how Stu works to advance research and teaching in academic institutions. His mentorship at ExxonMobil is legendary; it has served to bridge demographic gaps and changes in strategic directions and to maintain a culture of rigor. His contributions to preserve and disseminate the history of catalysis, painstakingly gathered by Burt Davis over decades required hundreds of hours of editing and converting videographic media into accessible forms. Nearly 2000 videos, covering more than 50 years of lectures and interviews, are now available at the “Video History of Catalysis” YouTube channel. This serves as a repository of our community’s storied history of scientific and technological achievements.
Stu Soled represents, in spirit and impact, the definition of service.
Jingguang Chen
NACS President