EES Catalysis Blog

EES Catalysis Poster Prize

Esther Frecha Ferreiro (Instituto de Carboquímica-CSIC, Spain)
Poster Title: “Upcycling cigarette butts by hydrolytic hydrogenation of their major component (cellulose acetate)”

Esther Frecha Ferreiro is a postdoctoral fellow at the Instituto de Carboquímica-CSIC in Zaragoza (Spain), as part of the Fuel Conversion Group. Her research focuses on the development of carbon-based catalytic systems for a range of biorefinery applications. Among numerous  processes, she has studied the depolymerisation of cellulose into glucose, the synthesis of sugar alcohols by hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose, and the acid dehydration of sugars to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). Currently, her work aims to extend these catalytic strategies to emerging waste-derived feedstocks, such as cellulose acetate recovered from cigarette filters and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from plastic waste, advancing sustainable pathways for the valorisation of waste streams into value-added chemicals.

Sustainable Energy & Fuels Poster Prize

Stefan Spahn (Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany)
Poster Title: “Investigations on Cu-based catalysts for the dehydrogenation of the liquid organic hydrogen carrier compound 1,4-butanediol”

Stefan Spahn is a second-year PhD candidate at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, working under the supervision of Prof. Peter Wasserscheid. His research focuses on understanding and improving the catalytic dehydrogenation of 1,4-butanediol using copper-based catalysts. 1,4-Butanediol is a promising candidate for liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) systems, offering potential for hydrogen storage and release. Stefan’s research aims to advance the understanding of this catalytic process and contribute to the development of more efficient and sustainable hydrogen storage technologies. His work aims to support the energy transition by using environmentally friendly chemicals and abundant, non-noble metals as alternatives to precious-metal-based catalysts.

EES Catalysis Poster Prize

Jacob Ridley-White (University of Manchester, UK)
Poster Title: “Determining the structure-property-performance relationships of Lewis acid zeolites for biomass conversion”

Jacob is a PhD researcher in catalysis at the University of Manchester. He is based at the Harwell Campus, in Oxfordshire, where he has access to national facilities such as CLF and Diamond. Jacob achieved first class honours in his MEng Chemical Engineering degree, also at University of Manchester. His research now focuses on the conversion of glucose to platform chemicals such as 5-HMF and lactic acid. He uses advanced laser techniques to understand his catalysts at the single-crystal level and translates his results in structure-property-performance relationships that will guide future catalyst design.

Energy Advances Poster Prize

Prabin Dhakal (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden)
Poster Title: “Ru catalyst supported on Sr-Modified ZrO₂ for reductive depolymerization of nylons”

Prabin Dhakal received his MSc in innovative and sustainable chemical engineering at the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. He completed his master’s project in the Chemical Reaction Engineering division at Chalmers University of Technology (2022). Currently, he is a PhD student in Chemical Reaction Engineering and the competence center of catalysis (KCK) at Chalmers University of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Louise Olsson and Prof. Derek Creaser. In his project, he focuses on the reductive depolymerization of nylon-6 using a heterogeneous catalyst. He is developing a catalyst that can effectively break down polymers into industrially valuable monomers. He will soon submit his thesis and is excited to continue working on sustainable future technologies.

Energy & Environmental Science Poster Prize

Thomas McGuire (University of Oxford, UK)
Poster Title: “Why Is Zinc(II) Such an Effective Depolymerization Catalyst for Polyesters and Polycarbonates?”

Thom is a postdoctoral research fellow working at the University of Oxford with Professor Charlotte Williams researching the depolymerization of polycarbonates and polyesters. Prior to that, Thom studied for his MChem at the University of Edinburgh. He then moved to the University of Bath to complete his PhD under the supervision of Antoine Buchard. During his PhD, he studied the impact of stereochemistry on the properties of sugar-derived polymers. Alongside his PhD, Thom completed a short JSPS research fellowship at Nagoya University in Japan, working for Professor Masami Kamigaito.

Energy & Environmental Science Poster Prize

Amy Edmeades (Central Laser Facility (CLF), UK)
Poster Title: “Combining time resolved temperature-jump spectroscopy with QM/MM techniques to study zeolites”

Amy graduated from the University of Exeter in 2021 with an MPhys in Physics with Professional Experience. In 2020, she completed a year long placement in the Ultra facility for ultrafast spectroscopy in the Central Laser Facility (CLF), developing software for use in two-dimensional infra-red (2D-IR) and transient absorption spectroscopies. Her final year project involved modelling and enhancing the radar scattering cross sections of small devices. From 2021-2023 Amy worked in Paul Donaldson’s group at the CLF on temperature-jump time-resolved infra-red spectroscopy of zeolites, primarily working on simulations of pulsed laser heating of samples. She is currently a third year PhD student joint between Cardiff University and the CLF, under the supervision of Richard Catlow and Paul Donaldson. Amy works on combining ultrafast spectroscopic techniques, including temperature-jump spectroscopy, with hybrid QM/MM computational work to study zeolite catalysts.

EES Catalysis Poster Prize

Odhran Cruise (University of Leeds, UK)
Poster Title: “Optimising high-dimensional catalytic systems through packetized flow”

Odhran Cruise received his BSc from the University of Victoria, Canada, in 2023 and his MSc from the University of Oxford in 2024. He is currently a PhD student at the University of Leeds under the supervision of Prof. Thomas Chamberlain within the Institute of Process Research and Development. His research focuses on developing data-driven approaches for chemical process exploration and optimisation, with a particular emphasis on addressing the large experimental spaces associated with homogenous catalytic reactions. Through the application of Bayesian optimisation-based strategies, his work aims to accelerate process development while generating interpretable insights into the chemical factors governing reaction behaviour and catalytic performance.