Yuriy Román to join the Chemistry Faculty

The Department of Chemistry is pleased to welcome Professor Yuriy Román to the faculty as a jointly appointed Professor with the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Originally from Mexico City, Mexico, Román earned his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. After working in industry for a year, he moved to Madison, WI to pursue graduate studies and earned his PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008, working under the supervision of Professor James A. Dumesic. 

Following his postdoctoral appointment at the California Institute of Technology, where he conducted research in the synthesis and characterization of microporous and mesoporous materials in the group of Professor Mark E. Davis, Román joined the faculty in the MIT Department of Chemical Engineering as an Assistant Professor. Among his honors are the Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis, the ACS Early Career in Catalysis Award, an NSF Career Award, and the Rutherford Aris Award. He was named a Blavatnik Finalist in 2022.

Research in the Román Group lies at the interface of heterogeneous catalysis and materials design.  The group applies a wide range of synthetic, spectroscopic, and reaction engineering tools to study the chemical transformation of molecules on catalytic surfaces.  A strong emphasis is placed on the application of catalytic materials to tackle relevant problems associated with sustainable energy, biofuels, and renewable chemicals.   Catalysts are designed utilizing advanced inorganic, organic and organometallic synthetic techniques to endow solid materials with well-characterized surfaces where the physical and chemical properties of the solid are manipulated by understanding and controlling the structure of the material on all length scales. A particular focus is placed on the molecular design and nano-scale engineering of microporous and mesoporous materials.