OU Engineer Receives National Recognition for Catalysis Research

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Daniel Resasco, a professor in the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, has been awarded the Excellence in Catalysis Award by the Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York, a prestigious regional organization with an awardee pool national in scope. 

The award, sponsored by ExxonMobil, has been given to academic and industrial researchers in heterogeneous catalysis since 1982. Resasco’s affiliation with the organization dates back 40 years to when he was a graduate student at Yale University. 

“I vividly remember attending the awards dinner and a seminar given by that year’s awardee so receiving this award and presenting the work conducted at OU almost 40 years later is a very special honor. This award recognizes world-renowned researchers and being part of this remarkable group makes me humble and proud at the same time,” he said. 

Joining the OU faculty in 1993, Resasco holds the inaugural Gallogly Chair of Engineering. His research focuses on material synthesis, characterization of materials under reaction conditions and precise measurement of the catalytic behavior to understand the relationship between the catalytic performance and the microscopic structure and composition of the material, in addition to the links between the synthesis process and the final catalyst. He has co-authored 300 articles and 30 patents. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina and a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from Yale University. 

Resasco notes that the award recognizes his research group at OU. “The work is a combined effort of faculty, graduate students and postdocs. This recognition shows how we advance the science of catalysis and help companies move the economy toward more sustainable processes, while at the same time training students in the principles and uses of advanced techniques. This educational component of research is one of the most gratifying aspects of being an academic researcher.”

The Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York was founded in 1958 to promote and encourage the growth and development of the science of catalysis. Past recipients have included researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory, ExxonMobil, Merck & Co., as well as universities throughout the nation. 

For more information about the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, visit ou.edu/coe.

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