Energy and Sustainability
Help create a sustainable future
Energy and sustainability research in the Department of Chemistry addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing society today. Faculty and students investigate chemical processes and materials that support cleaner energy, reduced environmental impact and more sustainable technologies.
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Energy and sustainability research at UB explores questions such as:
- How can chemical processes be designed to be more sustainable and environmentally benign?
- How do pollutants interact with natural systems, and how can their impacts be mitigated?
- What molecular and materials-based architectures enable efficient energy storage and conversion?
- How do energy conversion processes operate at the molecular level?
- How can catalysts, sensors and photonic devices be designed using earth-abundant elements?
These questions connect chemistry to global energy and environmental challenges.
Energy and sustainability research integrates experimental, spectroscopic and computational approaches across multiple areas of chemistry. Researchers design and synthesize molecules and materials, study reaction mechanisms and separations processes, and investigate environmental interactions at the molecular level.
Many projects involve interdisciplinary collaboration among chemists and with researchers in engineering, the natural sciences and medicine. This collaborative approach supports the development of practical solutions for energy conversion, storage and environmental protection.
Energy and sustainability research at UB commonly includes:
- Sustainable and environmentally benign synthetic methodologies
- Advanced separations techniques for energy and environmental applications
- Chemistry of pollutants and environmental impact mitigation
- Molecular and materials design for energy storage and conversion
- Spectroscopic and computational studies of energy conversion mechanisms
- Catalysts, sensors and photonic devices based on earth-abundant elements
Together, these research areas advance sustainable technologies and chemical understanding.
Students can gain hands-on research experience and build skills that translate to careers in energy, sustainability, environmental science, materials development, chemical industry and graduate study.