OSU chemical engineering professor receives 2025 Catalysis Research Award
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Media Contact: Desa James | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-2669 | desa.james@okstate.edu
Dr. Jeffery White, professor and BP Chair in the School of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University, has been awarded the 2025 Great Plains Catalysis Society Research award.
The GPCS Research Award recognizes White’s impactful contributions as a researcher and educator in the field of catalysis.
“To be recognized by the excellent colleagues throughout this region is gratifying and humbling, particularly in light of the outstanding prior recipients of the award,” White said.
The GPCS, a regional chapter of the North American Catalysis Society, promotes collaboration among chemists, chemical engineers, material scientists and others across the Great Plains. Its membership spans from Oklahoma to Minnesota and from New Mexico to Arkansas.
“While GPCS was originally chartered to foster catalysis research in the Great Plains region, it has active involvement from academic and industrial researchers across a broad geographic area,” White said.
White’s research in catalysis and spectroscopy began during his graduate studies, where a faculty mentor, who later became his Ph.D. advisor, introduced him to the field.
“That enthusiasm was infectious, and the types of questions that I could understand as a first-year graduate student were inherently appealing to me,” he said.
Building on that early inspiration, and throughout his teaching career and ongoing research, White has contributed to significant industrial applications, including commercializing methanol-to-olefins conversion.
“Recently, we've used our desire to understand the fundamentals of how certain industrially important catalysts work, coupled with collaborations with industrial partners, to improve catalysts to work with a wider range of feedstocks,” he said. “These include feedstocks which might be considered waste materials, and feedstocks that are either rich in water or generate water during reactions. Historically, catalysts have not been able to convert these types of feeds with acceptable selectivity or conversion.”
Looking ahead, White plans to continue advancing industrial and environmental applications through his research. For students and early career researchers considering a path in catalysis, he emphasized the importance of curiosity and personal engagement.
“Catalysis is a very large research and application area, and we’ve been fortunate to work in a small part of that overall space,” he said. “My advice is to choose something that is intellectually stimulating and that feeds your curiosity. It might take a while to find that intellectual niche, but ultimately, that is what will sustain you professionally.”
To learn more about the award and view the official announcement, visit the GPCS 2025 Award Winner Page.
Story By: Natalie Henderson | Prospective Student Services Coordinator | natalie.henderson@okstate.edu