Hall of Fame Member Biographies

Daniel Resasco

Daniel Resasco obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina in 1975 before traveling to America and earning a doctorate from Yale University in 1984. The first faculty member to be named the Gallogly Chair at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Resasco is a full professor of chemical engineering and has served the university with distinction for over 27 years. His research specializes in the study of heterogenous catalysis and nanostructured materials for applications in energy, fuels, and chemicals.

The author of more than 300 academic publications and the holder of over 40 industrial patents, Dr. Resasco has been the editor of the Journal of Catalysis and a member of several editorial boards on the same subject. His works have received over 27,000 citations, and he has advised more than 110 graduate and postdoctoral students.

Dr. Resasco’s research falls into three major areas relating to ways of enhancing the efficiency of chemical reactions: the synthesis, modification, and characterization of catalytic materials that are controllable at the nanoscale; the development of structure-properties relationships with specific focus on the effect of nanostructures and compositions on reaction mechanisms; and the application of these materials and reactions to processes relevant to industrial and commercial concerns. The goal of Dr. Resasco’s research is to understand the relationship between catalytic performance and the microscopic structure and composition of the material, as well as the links between the synthesis process and the final catalyst. Achieving this goal requires an interdisciplinary effort combining techniques and studies from a variety of scientific disciplines.

Deeply involved with scientific institutions the world over, Dr. Resasco is a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Argentina, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a Distinguished Overseas Professor in Shanghai, and the Douglas and Hilda Bourne Chair of Chemical Engineering. He has also received the Sam A. Wilson Professorship, the Janet and Ken Smalley Presidential Professorship, and has been the D. B. Robinson Distinguished Speaker at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He currently serves as an advisor on the editorial board of the Chinese Journal of Catalysis.

Dr. Resasco’s groundbreaking scientific work has been recognized with the Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award, the Yale Award for Advancement of Basic and Applied Science, the Oklahoma Chemist of the Year Award from the American Chemical Society, the Regents Award for Superior Research, and the Houssay Award for Scientific Achievement from the National Research Council of Argentina. He is currently President of the Great Plains Catalysis Society and a past Chair of the Catalysis Division of the American Chemical Society. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Resasco has served as an industrial consultant in areas related to catalysis, reaction engineering, oil refining, nanotechnology, and carbon nanotubes.

Dr. Resasco was recently named the George Lynn Cross Research Professor, the highest research honor that the University of Oklahoma bestows, which is given to tenured, full-time faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding leadership over a period of years in their field of learning.