Dr. Kyriaki Polychronopoulou
Dr. kyriaki polychronopoulou Professor Director, Center for Catalysis and Separation Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

Contact Information
Kyriaki.polychrono@ku.ac.ae

Biography

Prof. Kyriaki Polychronopoulou is currently a Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Khalifa University, and Visiting Professor at ETH-Zurich. She is also the Founding Director of the Catalysis and Separation Center (CeCaS) at KU, the first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates. CeCaS is actively supporting the vision of the UAE towards alterative fuels (hydrogen, biofuels), decarbonization though CO2 conversion to useful fuels and hydrocarbon exploitation.

She holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cyprus (2005). Before her appointment at Khalifa University she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University (IL, USA) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (IL, USA). During her independent career, she has also worked as a Research Fellow in the National Physical Laboratory (UK), Texas A&M (USA), and KAIST (Korea).

She is recipient of the Khalifa University Top 1{eca436d86c222ab3e9dab4c32851a5f0e8b92f21bb36ef315e982b8f746c99ed} Journals Award 2021, Commendation for Research 2018, Khalifa University Teaching Excellence Award 2018, Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) Award for Research Excellence in three consecutive rounds in 2019, 2017 and 2015. She is also recipient of the 2015 Khalifa University Faculty Excellence Award for Outstanding Research, the 2007 Fulbright Award for Advanced Research in the US, and a 2008 British Council Award for Research.

Dr. Polychronopoulou's research contribution is focused on experimental and computational catalysis both from fundamental and applied perspective. She focuses her research on unlocking the reaction mechanisms and understanding of surface phenomena and their association with catalytic material microstructure. Processes of primary focus are: hydrogen (H2) production, CO2 conversion, biofuels production.  


Education
  • MSc in Mechanical Engineering, University of Cyprus, 2008
  • PhD in Chemistry, University of Cyprus, 2005
  • BSc in Chemistry, University of Cyprus, 2000

Teaching
  • Engineering Materials (MEEN 225 )
  • Fluid Mechanics (MEEN 335 )

Affiliated Centers, Groups & Labs

Research
Research Interests
  • Heterogeneous catalysis (H2, CO2, NH3, Biofuels)
  • H2 Production and separation
  • CO2 Conversion to fuels
  • Catalytic reactions mechanisms
  • In situ catalytic studies
  • Computational catalysis
  • Mechanochemistry in catalysis

Research Projects

Research Staff and Graduate Students:

Staff
Dr. Aasif Dabbawala Research Scientist
Dr. Eswar Komarala Post-doctoral Fellow
Omer Elfaki Research Associate
Students
Mrs. Ayesha AlKhoori PhD in Materials Science
Mrs. Sara AlKhoori PhD in Materials Science
Mrs. Swati Singh PhD in Materials Science
Mr. Abdulhameed Kamzi PhD in Materials Science
Mrs. Latifa AlAli MSc in Materials Science
Mrs. Mariam Ahmed MSc in Materials Science
Mr. Louai Magrabi MSc in Materials Science
Additional Info

You are welcome to explore the fascinating world of catalysis and surfaces from fundamentals all the way to real life!

https://efcats.org

For any inquiries please email the PI of the group. 

Vacancies

No vacancies at the moment.