Peter Campbell Psarras

Department of Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University

ppsarras@stanford.edu

EDUCATION
November 2014

August 2014

Stanford University - Stanford, CA

Postdoctoral Scholar
Advisor: Jennifer Wilcox, PhD
Cleveland State University - Cleveland, OH
PhD in Clinical-Bioanalytical Chemistry; GPA: 4.0/4.0
Dissertation: Toward an Understanding of Methane Selectivity in
the Fischer-Tropsch Process
Advisor: David Ball, PhD

May 2006

Case Western Reserve University - Cleveland, OH

Completed graduate level coursework in Biochemistry and
Genetics

August 2005

Miami University - Oxford, OH

B.A. in Chemistry

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
November 2014 present

Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Energy Resources

Engineering, Stanford University - Stanford, CA.
DFT investigation of materials for CCS, GCMC simulations of
gaseous mixtures in porous organic materials.

August 2011 August 2014

Doctoral Research - Cleveland State University - Cleveland, OH.

Modeled various transition-metal surfaces, pure and alloyed, in
an attempt to elucidate changes in electronic structure specific to
methane selectivity in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Used clusterbased methods as well as periodic (plane-wave) models.
Incorporated extensive charge analysis via Bader theory.

January 2010 August 2012

Pre-doctoral Research - Cleveland State University/ NASA Glenn

Research Center - Cleveland, OH.
Used a cluster-based approach to model small pure and
promoted nickel clusters to assess the effect of adatom presence
on CO bond activation and O dissociation.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Spring 2014
Fall 2013
Fall 2009 Spring 2013
AWARDS
May 2011
May 2013
May 2014

Courses taught:
Survey of Physical Chemistry (lecture) - 7 students
Physical Chemistry I (lecture) - 16 students
General Chemistry Laboratory I and II (24 -28 students)/ College
Chemistry Laboratory I and II (24 -28 students)

F.C. Mark Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for excellence in

undergraduate teaching
Graduate Student Outstanding Leadership Award
F.J. Bockhoff Award for continued excellence in undergraduate
teaching

PRESENTATIONS
October 2013
September 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
November 2012
July 2012
April 2012
March 2012
October 2011
April 2010
March 2010

Cleveland State Interdisciplinary Research Conference,

Cleveland State University - poster
ACS National Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana poster
Central Regional Meeting of the ACS, Mt. Pleasant, MI oral
College of Science Research Day, Cleveland State University poster
Cleveland ACS Meeting in Miniature, John Carroll University
oral
Cleveland State Interdisciplinary Research Conference,
Cleveland State University - poster
Central Regional Meeting of the ACS, Dearborn, MI poster
College of Science Research Day, CSU poster
Cleveland ACS Meeting in Miniature, Oberlin College oral
Cleveland State Interdisciplinary Research Conference,
Cleveland State University - oral and poster
College of Science Research Day, Cleveland State University poster
Cleveland ACS Meeting in Miniature, Cleveland State University
oral

PUBLICATIONS
1. Novel Catalysts and Processing Technologies for Production of Aerospace Fuels from NonPetroleum Raw Materials, AIAA Conference Paper (2014)
2. DFT/QTAIM Analysis of the Effect of Late Transition Metal Doping on Methane Selectivity in
Fischer-Tropsch Catalysis, Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, 1063 (2015) 1-9
3. CH4 Selectivity in Ag and Pd-promoted Fe(100) Fischer-Trpsch Catalysts (in preparation)
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
August 2010President, Vice-President, Treasurer - Graduate Student
May 2014
Interdisciplinary Research Club. Planned and organized three
separate (100+ student) research symposia with budgets of
between $8,000 and $15,000. Invited various speakers for
plenary talks and general seminars. Organized high school
outreach programs to expose young STEM students to
University-level equipment and facilities. Installed a peerseminar series for refining oral presentation skills.
March 2010Member, American Chemical Society
present