2025 UIC Catalysis Innovation Summit
2025 UIC Catalysis Innovation Summit: Bridging Academia and Industry for Sustainable Solutions
Thursday, May 15th 2025
(Tour of Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF), Argonne National Lab)
Friday, May 16th 2025
(Presentations and Panel Discussions)
Time: 9 am to 5 pm
Location: Room 301, Student Center East
For more information or questions contact:
Meenesh R. Singh
312-413-7673
mrsingh@uic.edu
Register here
Description
The UIC Catalysis Innovation Summit is a premier gathering designed to connect industry leaders, researchers, and academics to foster long-term collaborations in catalysis research. Hosted at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), this event will serve as a launchpad for the UIC Catalysis Center (UIC-CAT), a multidisciplinary initiative uniting expertise across chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, environmental engineering, and pharmaceuticals. The event aims to establish UIC as a national leader in catalysis research and development, bridging the gap between fundamental catalysis advancements and industrial applications while promoting innovation, workforce development, and translational research.
Description
Taking place on May 15-16, 2025, the summit will feature presentations from UIC faculty working in key catalysis areas, including electrocatalysis, heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, biocatalysis, photocatalysis, and plasma catalysis, among others. Additionally, an industry panel discussion will provide a platform for collaborative dialogue on emerging challenges, research needs, and future partnerships in catalysis-driven industries such as energy, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and sustainability. Attendees will have an opportunity to network with leading industry professionals, tour UIC’s and Argonne National Lab (ANL)’s cutting-edge catalysis research facilities, and explore partnership opportunities. This event is a strategic step toward building impactful industry-academic collaborations and positioning UIC as a hub for catalysis innovation.
Agenda for Thursday, May 15th
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Tour of Materials Engineering Research Facility, Argonne National Laboratory
Agenda for Friday, May 16th
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Registration and Breakfast
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Welcome Remarks
Joanna Groden, Vice Chancellor for Research
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Introduction to College of Engineering Research
Lola Eniola-Adefeso, Dean of Engineering
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Introduction to UIC Catalyst Center
Meenesh Singh, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
10:15 AM – 11:10 AM
Photo/Electrocatalysis Research
Speakers: Meenesh Singh (ChE), Jordi Cabana (Chem), Brian
Chaplin (ChE), Vikas Berry (ChE), Michael Bentel (CME), Ahmed Farghaly (ANL/ChE), Ksenija Glusac (Chem) and A. Jean-Luc Ayitou (Chem)
11:10 AM – 12:00 PM
Interfacial & Thermocatalysis Research Speakers: Reza Shahbazian-Yassar (MIE), Robert Klie (Phys), Michael Trenary (Chem), Nan Jiang (Chem), Neal Mankad (Chem), Massimiliano Delfarro (ANL), and Ezinne Achinivu-Ibagere (ChE)
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
UIC-ANL collaboration via Crabtree Institute Speaker: Jordi Cabana, Co-Director of Crabtree Institute
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch & Networking
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Introduction to LAS Research
Speaker: Luke Hanley, Associate Dean for Research & Facilities
2:30 PM – 2:55 PM
Catalyst and Process Scale Up Speaker: Yuepeng Zhang, Group Leader, Nanocomposite Materials and Membrane Manufacturing, ANL
2:55 PM – 3:30 PM
Computational Catalysis & Systems Engineering Speakers: Sara Kadkhodaei (CME), Shafigh Mehraeen (ChE), Robert Klie (Phys), Anh Ngo (ChE), Urmila Diwekar (BME), and Lin Li (MIE)
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Pharmaceutical Catalysis Speaker: Paul Carlier, Shweta Bhagat, and Bo Zhou -Drug Discovery Center Center
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Industry Panel Discussion Moderator: Meenesh Singh, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Closing Remarks & Industry Feedback for UIC CAT
Suseelan Pookote, Sr. Director, Office of Technology Management
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Dinner at Tuscany
Register here
Industry Attendees
.