People

Professor Marc Porosoff received his BS in 2009 and MS in 2010, both in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University.  In 2015, he completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University, with a thesis on developing catalysts for carbon dioxide conversion.  Porosoff then worked as a National Research Council sponsored postdoctoral fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory on the ‘Seawater to Fuel’ project. At Rochester, Porosoff plans to investigate low-cost, alternative catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation and natural gas conversion into value-added chemicals and fuels.

Shane Michtavy is a Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Rochester, where he previously earned his B.S. in the same field. Before beginning his doctoral studies, Shane conducted undergraduate research at both Cornell University and Brookhaven National Laboratory, which sparked his interest in catalyst design using artificial intelligence. His current research focuses on developing novel and optimal heterogeneous catalyst designs for CO2 valorization. Shane is committed to advancing the field of chemical engineering and strives to leave any environment he encounters better than he found it.

Hasitha Perera received his BS with honors in Chemical and Process Engineering in 2015 and MS in Sustainable Process Engineering in 2020 from the University of  Moratuwa. His master’s research focused on CFD modeling of a biomass torrefaction reactor. He has industrial experience in polymer product and process design, water and effluent treatment and enterprise resource planning. He joined the Chemical Engineering department at the University of Rochester in the fall of 2022 to pursue his PhD. His research interest is heterogeneous catalysis focusing on catalyst design for CO2 conversion and CO2 hydrogenation reaction mechanisms.

Szymon Kuzniar is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering. He is interested in catalyst research and applications for renewable energy, formation of key products and tandem reactions, and enjoys the analytical thinking required in a lab. He is additionally a part of the University of Rochester AIChE chapter.

Phyllis is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering with an intended minor in Environmental Engineering. Her research interests involve the study of CO2 adsorption on porous materials and the application of machine learning to catalysis. She is a member of the University of Rochester's AIChE chapter, and she holds an executive board position in the University's Mock Trial organisation as well.

Adel is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering. He is passionate about the study and synthesis of catalysts and spending time mixing solutions in the lab as well as mixing creativity with problem-solving. He is also a leader and Peer Student Guide for up-and-coming undergraduates in the chemical engineering field at King Abdullah's University of Science and Technology (KAUST). 

Sophia Pollack-Hurst is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering. Her research involved studying the strong electrostatic adsorption method of catalyst synthesis. She is interested in using chemical engineering to promote good health in communities impacted by poor infrastructure. Sophia has been the social chair of the University of Rochester's AIChE chapter for two years and is a member of the Alpha Phi fraternity.

Eva Ciuffetelli is a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Sustainability. She is interested in engineering ecological fuels and materials with commercial scalability. Eva developed the plan for and now leads the project to recycle paper into student notebooks in the campus group Sustainability Through Engineering, and is an athlete on the Varsity Track and Field team.

Jay-Brian Randone is a junior in chemical engineering from Italy and Indonesia. He is interested with the world of sustainable energy and carbon capture and is working with rapid joule heating and quenching of catalysts in the lab. He wants to use his knowledge gained from the lab to eventually promote sustainable energy and research in his home country. He is also the lead events coordinator of the University's Asian Student Union and also part of men's club volleyball. 

Ruth Reynolds is a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Materials Science. She is interested in catalytic processes to improve energy storage and reduce carbon emissions, as well as fusion energy as a potential long-term solution for clean power generation.  She is a Project Assistant at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics studying microfluidic phenomena with the ultimate goal of developing a device for mass-producing IFE targets.