Leo Brody (MS ‘21, PhD ‘24) is the 2025 recipient of the George Klinzing Best PhD Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. This award recognizes an outstanding dissertation in the physical, biomedical or engineering sciences, with particle science and engineering as its focus.

At NC State, Brody was advised by Prof. Fanxing Li and his dissertation focused on improving how we capture CO₂ during chemical reactions to make hydrogen fuel. Normally, special solid materials called sorbents are used to grab CO₂ and help produce more hydrogen. The problem is that most sorbents stop working over time due to sintering or particle aggregation. For his PhD, Brody tested a new type of material called perovskite oxides, which can switch between different structures during use. This switching helps the perovskite oxide particles avoid aggregation and makes them last longer. Brody’s dissertation work has been published in Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, and Journal of Physics: Energy. 

“My colleagues in the Fanxing Li group have shaped the way I approach things here at UW. They taught me how to think systematically and engineer effectively. Prof. Li was an incredible influence on me and remains one of the most impressive minds I’ve come across in my research career. He afforded me so many opportunities during my PhD, and I really owe much of this award to his great insights, guidance, and mentorship. I also want to give a shout-out to Prof. Carol Hall, who almost ten years ago recommended chemical engineering to me as a career path. I’m so glad I took her advice!”

Brody is now a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Julie Rorrer’s lab in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. His project is about creating a smart chemical reactor that can adjust itself as the starting materials or conditions change. Right now, they are testing with simple liquids, but the long-term goal is to use it for mixed waste plastics. “While it’s challenging and fast-paced, working with Prof. Rorrer has been a lot of fun, and her lab has been very welcoming and congenial,” Brody said.

Looking toward the future, Brody has always wanted to be a staff scientist at NREL, a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In the meantime Brody says, “as long as I can keep working within the realm of sustainable engineering and get to build cool reactors in the lab, I’ll be happy.”

Congratulations on this achievement, Leo!