Susannah L. Scott
Duncan & Suzanne Mellichamp Chair in Sustainable Catalytic Processing
Departments of Chemical Engineering, and Chemistry & Biochemistry
a. Professional Preparation
College/University Major Degree &Year
University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Chemistry B.Sc., 1987
Iowa State University, Ames IA, USA Chemistry Ph.D., 1991
Ames Laboratory, Ames IA, USA Photochemistry 1992
Institut de recherches sur la catalyse, Lyon, France Catalysis 1992 - 1994
b. Academic/Professional appointments
Chang Jiang Visiting Scholar Professor, Dalian University of Technology 2018 - 2020
Visiting International Professorship, Université de Lille 2016
Director, Mellichamp Academic Initiative in Sustainability, UC Santa Barbara 2013 - present
Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists, Chinese Acad. Sciences 2012
Distinguished Professor, UC Santa Barbara 2015 - present
Vice-Chair, Department of Chemical Engineering, UC Santa Barbara 2008 - 2011
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UC Santa Barbara 2003 - present
Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, UC Santa Barbara 2003 - present
Miller Visiting Research Professor, Department of Chemistry, UC Berkeley 2001
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Ottawa, Canada 1998 - 2002
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Ottawa, Canada 1994 - 1998
D. ACTIVITIES
1. Director of the Mellichamp Academic Initiative in Sustainable Manufacturing, UC Santa Barbara. This project was initiated in 2013 based on a proposal led by S. Scott to the campus to build a national presence in sustainable chemical manufacturing. UC Santa Barbara committed four faculty research chairs (including one for the Director) and resources to stimulate collaborative, interdisciplinary research on and across the campus. The Initiative organizes workshops on sustainable chemistry, renewable carbon, and science communication; hosts guest speakers; and designs new educational opportunities for graduate students. Recently funded research projects include polyolefin upcycling, origin and fate of microplastics, and plastics communication campaigns.
2. 2019 Workshops on Polymer Upcycling. Scott led a national workshop at UCSB on polymer upcycling, and co-led (with R. Rice) a workshop at UCSB on the issue of plastic in the environment. Scott was a Panel Lead for the 2019 DOE-BES Roundtable on Polymer Upcycling, and a speaker at the 2019 National Academies’ Roundtable “Closing the Loop on the Plastics Dilemma”. She also briefed Science, Space, and Technology Committee staff for a Congressional hearing on plastic recycling.
3. Director for an NSF S-STEM project, Enhanced Support, Training and Experiences for Engineering Majors (ESTEEM). This project, led by UC Santa Barbara, began in 2012 as a single-institution initiative to support and mentor first-generation college students studying engineering by providing scholarships, mentoring, academic support, and networking opportunities. In 2016, it expanded to include four regional community colleges which prepare transfer students for engineering studies.
4. Co-Chair, DOE-BES Basic Research Needs for Catalysis workshop. The goal of this 2017 workshop was to chart future directions for catalysis research related to energy applications. It culminated in a report published in 2018 containing five priority research directions: (1) Design Catalysts Beyond the Binding Site; (2) Understand and Control the Dynamic Evolution of Catalysts; (3) Manipulate Reaction Networks in Complex Environments to Steer Catalytic Transformations Selectively; (4) Design Catalysts for Efficient Electron-driven Chemical Transformations; and (5) Drive New Catalyst Discoveries by Coupling Data Science, Theory, and Experiment.
5. Associate Editor, ACS Catalysis. This journal currently has the highest impact factor of any journal in the field of catalysis. As one of its longest-serving editors, I manage about 400 submissions per year on topics ranging from heterogeneous catalysis to homogeneous catalysis, organocatalysis, electrocatalysis and photocatalysis. I also contribute editorials on topics related to catalysis research