ChE Seminar Series Presents: Richard West

Richard West, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA

“Detailed Kinetic Modeling: using computers to predict complex systems of chemical reactions”

Abstract: The primary focus of our research is the development of detailed microkinetic models for complex reacting systems, like combustion, heterogeneous catalysis, and bio-fuel processing. Our approach is to automate the discovery of reaction pathways, and the calculation of key parameters using ab initio quantum chemistry calculations, and novel machine learning techniques. These kinetic models will link to multi-scale models of the reactor systems so that the overall process can be understood and optimized as a whole. This approach towards microkinetic model development will then contribute to the optimization and understanding of catalytic processes, leading to catalyst design and discovery, as well as combustion processes, leading to safer and greener fire suppressants, refrigerants, and fuels. Our approach to computational chemistry involves both learning chemistry from the computers, and teaching chemistry to the computers. Learn more at neu.edu/comocheng.

Biography: Richard read Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, completing his BA and MEng degrees in 2004. He was in the first cohort to spend a year at MIT on the undergraduate exchange program of the Cambridge-MIT Institute. He returned to MIT for a semester of graduate classes at the start of his PhD, also in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. His thesis work, in the Computational Modelling Group of Prof. Markus Kraft, was on modeling the chloride process for the gas-phase synthesis of titanium dioxide nano particles. He finished in 2008 and returned to MIT once more, this time as a postdoctoral research associate working with Prof. William Green to develop detailed kinetic models and the tools used to create them. In 2011 he moved across the river to Boston, starting the Computational Modeling in Chemical Engineering group at Northeastern University. In 2018 he became an Associate Professor (with tenure) and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in the Department of Chemical Engineering, a position he held until his sabbatical began in 2020. He lives with his wife (also NU faculty) and 5-year-old daughter in Brookline, MA. You can follow his weird toast diet on Instagram (@richardhwest).

Please email Alyssa Ramsey at a.ramsey@northeastern.edu for the link to the seminar.