Alex Hill is a postdoc in the Catalytic Carbon Transformation and Scale Up Center, investigating methods to convert carbon dioxide into renewable fuels and products. Prior to working at NREL, Hill earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Denver in 2016. After spending some time working at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Hill joined the University of Michigan in to pursue a doctorate in chemical engineering, which he completed in 2022, under the co-advisement of Professor Johannes Schwank and Professor Andrej Lenert. His research interests focus on understanding structure–function relationships and active site evolution in heterogeneous catalysts. Hill hopes to contribute to the design and deployment of novel catalytic materials and processes that can change the way we acquire our energy and affect our environment.

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Research Interests

Heterogeneous catalysis

Renewable energy

Carbon capture and conversion

Transmission electron microscopy

Material characterization

Reaction engineering

Education

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan

M.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan

B.S., Chemistry, University of Denver

Professional Experience

Ph.D. Candidate University of Michigan, Department of Chemical Engineering (2017–2022)

Professional Research Assistant, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2017)

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2016)

Research Assistant, University of Denver, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (2013–2016)

Associations and Memberships

North American Catalysis Society

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society

Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honor Society

Order of Omega Greek Honor Society

Featured Work

Mechanistic Insight in the Propylene Derived Distinct NO Uptake and Release Behaviors On Pd/SSZ-13 For Low-Temperature NO Adsorption, Chemical Engineering Journal (2023)

Intermediate Temperature Exposure Regenerates Performance and Active Site Dispersion in Sintered Pd–CeO2 Catalysts, Journal of Catalysis (2022)

Stabilizing Highly Dispersed Halo Sites in Thermally Restructured Palladium Core@shell Nanoparticles For Improved Catalyst Activity and Durability, ACS Applied Nano Materials (2021)

Progress and Future Challenges in Passive NO Adsorption Over Pd/Zeolite Catalysts, Catalysis Science & Technology (2021)

Improving the Thermal Stability and N-Butanol Oxidation Activity of Ag-TiO2 Catalysts By Controlling the Catalyst Architecture and Reaction Conditions, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental (2021)

Tunable Atomic Layer Deposition Into Ultra-High-Aspect-Ratio (> 60000: 1) Aerogel Monoliths Enabled By Transport Modeling, Chemistry of Materials, (2021)

One-Step Ion-Exchange From Na-SSZ-13 to Cu-SSZ-13 For NH3-SCR By Adjusting the pH Value of Cu-Exchange Solution: The Effect of H+ Ions On Activity and Hydrothermal Stability, Microporous and Mesoporous Materials (2021)

Thermally Induced Restructuring of Pd@CeO2 and Pd@SiO2 Nanoparticles As a Strategy For Enhancing Low-Temperature Catalytic Activity, ACS Catalysis (2020)

Awards and Honors

Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for Outstanding Graduate Student Instructors, University of Michigan, College of Engineering (2022)

Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities, Distributed Chemical Manufacturing Grant: Distributed Solar Energy Harvesting For Carbon-Free Ammonia Synthesis, National Science Foundation, Award Number 2131709 (2021)

Kokes Award, North American Catalysis Society (2019)