Inventor Profiles

Research area Oxidation catalysis and the chemistry of O2; homogeneous catalysis and synthetic methodology; electrocatalysis and electrochemical synthesis; green chemistry related to pharmaceutical synthesis and biomass conversion; electrochemical energy storage and conversion.

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What excites you about your work? 

“My central interest lies in understanding catalysis, which aligns with energy efficiency and sustainability. I get excited about understanding the fundamentals of catalysis and how those fundamentals come to fruition in practical applications. That’s where engagement with IP patenting and WARF comes in–can we make connections between our day-to-day work and how it might impact the marketplace? This has borne fruit in two projects: the utilization of biomass as a low-carbon footprint feedstock and electrochemical synthesis–using renewable electricity to lower the footprint of chemical synthesis.”

What do you hope to achieve? 

“I’m in this job because I love to learn new things, and I enjoy the learning process that comes from being in an academic environment. I love to see practical implementation of the concepts we learn about, and this has come to some fruition in several of our industrial collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry. For example, we’ve gained traction in the use of oxygen for chemical synthesis. It would be great to see some of our work on catalysis go beyond pharmaceutical synthesis and take hold in other markets. We have several projects exploring the use of chemical feedstocks that have lower carbon footprint, such as biomass and waste plastics. These could have broad impact in areas related to climate change and global sustainability.”

While Shannon’s impressive expertise in catalysis leads to scientific advancements, we’re always even more impressed by his ability to identify industrial problems that novel catalysis could address. His partnerships with industry generate value for both sides.