Christopher Jones Named John F. Brock III School Chair of ChBE Professor Christopher W. Jones started as the John F. Brock III School Chair in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) in August 2021. Jones has been a faculty member at Georgia Tech since 2000 and previously held the William R. McLain Chair in ChBE. “Chris has been a strong representative of the ChBE faculty for more than 20 years, both as a professor and a leader within Georgia Tech’s research community,” said Raheem Beyah, dean of the College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair. “His vision includes an increased focus on diversity, collaboration within the ChBE community, and using technology to improve learning outcomes for students. I’m excited to partner with him as we expand on his goals to support the School and the College."
“We are on a tremendous trajectory, and I look forward to helping facilitate the continued growth and success of the program.” - Christopher Jones
pandemic to a new normal.” Jones has published more than 300 peer-reviewed academic papers on materials chemistry, catalysis, and separations. His research Pioneering Research accomplishments have been recJones leads a ChBE research ognized with awards from Georgia group that works in catalysis and Tech as well as several scientific adsorption, with a strong emphasis and engineering societies, including in materials chemistry. He is known the American Institute of Chemical in the field for his pioneering work Engineers’ Andreas Acrivos Award on materials that extract carbon for Professional Progress in Chemidioxide from ultra-dilute mixtures cal Engineering in 2016. such as ambient air, which are key components of direct air capture technologies that have the potential Leadership Experience Jones has served in several to reverse climate change. Georgia Tech leadership positions “I am pleased to have the opthroughout the last decade. He was SaadtoBhamla portunity lead ChBE in our next phase of development,” said Jones. associate vice president for research from 2013-2019. This included a “The faculty, staff, students, and period as interim executive vice alumni of ChBE have been my academic family for the past two de- president in 2018. He has also mencades. We are on a tremendous tra- tored approximately 100 Georgia jectory, and I look forward to help- Tech graduate and post-doctoral students since arriving on campus. ing facilitate the continued growth In addition to his roles at and success of the program.” Georgia Tech, Jones served on a “I am especially excited for the committee commissioned by the opportunity to visit and reconNational Academies of Science, Ennect with our alumni and external gineering, and Medicine to create a partners as we transition from the
national research agenda to address climate change and carbon dioxide removal. The group of experts from across North America developed a consensus study — Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration — from 2017-2018. Jones was also selected as the founding editor-in-chief of the journal ACS Catalysis, leading the journal to a preeminent position during his tenure as editor from 2010-2020. He was recently re-elected as vice president of the North American Catalysis Society, where he oversees the society’s awards portfolio. In 2020, Jones was selected to launch a new open access American Chemical Society Journal — JACS Au, which has a broad, multi-disciplinary chemistry focus. Jones succeeded David Sholl, who stepped down as ChBE chair earlier this year to serve as director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s new Transformational Decarbonization Initiative. The position is a joint appointment with Georgia Tech and the Laboratory. CHBE.GATECH.EDU
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