Dr. Diego Gómez-Gualdrón, former graduate student of materials science and engineering at Texas A&M University, has accepted an assistant professor position at Chemical and Biological Engineering Department Colorado School of Mines.
Gómez-Gualdrón received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Industrial University of Santander, Colombia in 2006 and Ph.D. in 2012 from Texas A&M. He joined Northwestern University’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2013 as a postdoctoral fellow.
During his graduate studies, Gómez-Gualdrón worked under the supervision of Dr. Perla Balbuena, professor and holder of the GPSA Professorship in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering and affiliated faculty in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
As a student, Gómez-Gualdrón conducted research modeling carbon nanotube growth with the goal of designing nano-catalysts for structurally-selective nanotube synthesis.
“Diego’s work was essential to the elucidation of the atomistic mechanisms of a complex catalytic process which are needed for the design of better catalysts to yield carbon nanotubes with specific properties,” said Balbuena.
Gómez-Gualdrón’s current research focuses on the design of porous materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), with the goal of discovering materials that can effectively store and deliver gas fuels such as methane and hydrogen for vehicular applications, efficiently capture carbon dioxide from power plant streams, and catalyze chemical reactions selectively.
He received a Silver Graduate Student Award in 2012 from the Materials Research Society, and an Outstanding Researcher Award in 2014 from the International Institute for Nanotechnology at Northwestern University.
Photo courtesy: Chemical and Biological Engineering Department Colorado School of Mines.