Welcome to the Flaherty Research Group!
Our research focuses on the overlapping topics of catalysis, surface science, and materials synthesis. The goal is to determine the mechanisms of individual elementary steps and competing pathways for chemical reactions important for best utilizing our limited fossil resources and biomass. To unravel complicated networks of reactions, we utilize steady-state kinetic measurements, transient and perturbation techniques, and in situ spectroscopy. With detailed knowledge of how a reaction proceeds we can better design processes and catalysts to selectively promote desirable reactions over the undesirable pathways.
In order to construct develop clear relationships between the composition and structure of catalytic sites and the chemistry they promote, it is critical to use uniform and well-characterized materials. This is achieved using advanced synthetic methods which take advantage of strong chemical driving forces to self-assemble the desired catalytic site.
Projects in our group are motivated by the need to efficiently process recalcitrant petrochemicals, selectively transform biomass, develop alternatives for harmful oxidants, and produce clean burning fuels. Our intention is to make insightful contributions to the scientific community; to explore possible solutions to industrially and socially relevant problems, and to educate and train young researchers.
Recent News
(01/27/2025) Richa has been awarded the Bert H. Wells Fellowship from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering! Congratulations!
(01/21/2025) New Year new postdoc! Welcome to Dr. William Broomhead, our newest post-doctoral researcher! William is joining up from the University of Toronto, where he received his PhD in Chemical Engineering. He will be investigating the selective oxidation of polyols.
(11/15/2024) We welcome our newest postdoc Xin Deng to the group! She joins us from Nankai University, where she received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. Xin will be co-advised by Dr. Jones and work on alkane selective oxidation!
(11/11/2024) Congratulations to our newest PhD Candidate Huston! He passed his Thesis Proposal, woot!
(11/6/2024) Dave received the Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis and will present a Plenary Lecture at the 2025 North American Catalysis Society Meeting (NAM29)! Congrats boss!
(10/26/2024) Suchi, Matt, Huston, Richa, Minju, and Yu presented their research at AIChE 2024 in San Diego!
(10/26/2024) Congratulations Suchi for winning the CRE Travel Award to AIChE 2024 in San Diego!
News Page
Recent Publications
[104] Ching-Tien Chen, Anna Sviripa, Christopher Paolucci, David W. Flaherty, “Reactions of Surface Peroxides Govern Rates and Selectivities for C2H4 Epoxidation on Silver“, ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 1387.
[103] Richa Ghosh, Geoffrey M. Hopping, Jordan W. Lu, Drew W. Hollyfield, David W. Flaherty, “Alkene Epoxidation and Oxygen Evolution Reactions Compete for Reactive Surface Oxygen Atoms on Gold Anodes“, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 147, 1482.
[102] Yongwoo Kim, Jieun Lee, Abiram Krishnan, Jing Luo, Xue Chen, Faisal M. Alamgir, David W. Flaherty, “Formation of Acetonitrile and Ethylene from Activation of Ethane over Cobalt-Exchanged Aluminosilicates: Active Sites and Reaction Pathways“, Appl. Catal., B 2024, 359, 124513.
[100] David S. Potts, Jessica K. Komar, Matthew A. Jacobson, Huston Locht, David W. Flaherty, “Consequences of Pore Polarity and Solvent Structure on Epoxide Ring-Opening in Lewis and Brønsted Acid Zeolites“, JACS Au 2024, 4, 3501–3518.
[99] Ohsung Kwon, E. Zeynep Ayla, David S. Potts, David W. Flaherty, “Influence of Ti-incorporated Zeolite Topology and Pore Condensation on Vapor Phase Propylene Epoxidation Kinetics with Gaseous H2O2“, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2024, e202405950.
Full Publication List