The UO Chemistry and Biochemistry Department will welcome two new faculty members in 2018.

Chemical catalysis expert Amanda Cook and molecular materials scientist Carl Brozek will join the department as part of the UO Energy and Sustainable Materials cluster.

The Energy and Sustainable Materials cluster expands upon the university’s record of excellence in the chemistry and physics of materials. Affiliated with the Materials Science Institute, the cluster will build on the UO’s existing strengths in green chemistry, sustainable materials, and renewable energy—and grow the university’s basic and applied sciences.

Dr. Amanda Cook

After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan while working for Prof. Melanie Sanford, Dr. Cook began working for Prof. Christophe Coperet at ETH Zurich as a post-doctoral fellow. At Oregon, her research program will design and develop new catalysts for the transformation of organic molecules. Using a molecular approach to surface chemistry, solid catalysts will be synthesized, allowing for in-depth mechanistic studies to be carried out. The targeted catalytic reactions are of potential industrial utility, and include carbon dioxide reduction, alkyne functionalization, and biomass conversion.

Dr. Carl Brozek

Dr. Brozek did his postdoctoral work in the Gamelin Lab and the Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington. His research has spanned the synthesis of inorganic small molecules, MOF-based heterogeneous catalysts, and semiconductor electrochemistry. Most recently, Carl has developed theoretical and analytical tools for studying the redox properties of colloidal quantum dots. The Brozek Lab will synthesize reactive clusters and porous solids, and study how their unique properties challenge conventional understanding of molecules and materials.