Two CEBC faculty receive Early Career Awards

Congratulations to Professors Juan Bravo-Suarez and James Blakemore for winning early career awards! 

Assistant Professor Juan Bravo-Suarez has been chosen to receive a $500,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award. The research project is titled “Spectrokinetic studies for understanding metal-support interactions in catalytic oxidation of ethanol.” The research integrates with an educational plan that provides training and leadership opportunities to a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students through research and community engagement. Knowledge and new techniques gained through this research will assist in the design of next-generation gold oxidation catalysts, and will also be transferable to a wide range of surface catalyzed reactions.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently selected James Blakemore, assistant professor of Chemistry, to receive a $150,000 grant each year for five years as part of the Early Career Research Program. The program gives exceptional researchers a boost during the crucial early years of their careers. Blakemore is one of 84 scientists across the nation to receive these grants last year. His research project focuses on “Uranyl capture and activation with Lewis acids and macrocyclic hosts.”