Susannah Scott

Distinguished Professor
Mellichamp Academic Initiative in Sustainability Chair, Sustainable Catalytic Processing

Contact

(805) 893-5606
3325 Engineering II and Sycamore Hall (Building 489), Room 101A
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5080

ChemE Research Areas: 

Honors: 

2020 Chair, Gordon Research Conference on Catalysis
2019 Eastman Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley
2019 Boulder Scientific Lecturer, Colorado State University
2019 Kurt Wohl Memorial Lecturer, University of Delaware
2018 ChangJiang Visiting International Professor, Dalian University of Technology
2018 John van Geuns Lecturer, University of Amsterdam
2017 Grace Hopper Distinguished Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania
2017 Vladimir N. Ipatieff Lectureship in Catalysis, Northwestern University
2016 Visiting International Professorship, Université de Lille
2012 Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2008 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
2001-2002 Canada Research Chair in Catalyst Design
2001  Miller Visiting Research Professorship, University of California, Berkeley
2001-2002 Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Surface Organometallic Catalyst Design
2000 YWCA Women of Distinction Award (Information Technology and Science)
1999 Premier's Research Excellence Award (Ontario)
1999 University of Ottawa Young Researcher of the Year Award
1998, 1999  Union Carbide Innovation Recognition Award
1997  Cottrell Scholar, Research Corporation
1994-1999 NSERC Women’s Faculty Award
1994  John Charles Polanyi Prize in Chemistry
1992-1994 NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship
1991 Research Excellence Award, Iowa State University
1989 Teaching Excellence Award, Iowa State University
1987-1991 1967 Centennial Post-graduate Scholarship, NSERC
1987 Gold Medal in Chemistry, University of Alberta

Research Description: 

The Scott group conducts both fundamental and applied research in reactions, surface chemistry, and catalysis. Our goal is to understand the interactions and transformations of molecules at gas-solid and liquid-solid interfaces by creating highly uniform active sites. We use advanced techniques in organometallic and coordination chemistry, surface science, high resolution spectroscopy, isothermal and non-isothermal kinetics, mechanistic analysis and modeling to investigate, design and reengineer heterogeneous catalysts. Our group includes both chemical engineering and chemistry students, working to solve important current problems at the interface of chemistry and reaction engineering. We are working on problems in catalytic olefin metathesis and polymerization, alkane dehydrogenation, biomass upgrading, polymer waste upcycling, and pharmaceutical manufacturing, with particular emphasis on active site structure-function relationships and solvent effects.

Education: 

BS: University of Alberta (1987)
PhD: Iowa State University of Science and Technology (1991)

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