Skip to main content
Clarkson University Logo
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Give
  • Alumni
  • Parents
  • Intranet
  • About
    • President's Page
    • Board of Trustees
    • Administration
    • History & Facts
    • Accreditation
    • Accolades
    • The Clarkson Brand
    • Maps & Directions
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Continuing & Professional Education
    • School of Arts & Sciences
    • Lewis School of Health Sciences
    • Reh School of Business
    • Coulter School of Engineering
    • Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries
    • Institute for a Sustainable Environment
    • Institute for STEM Education
    • Academic Affairs
    • Student Achievement Services
    • Academic Calendar
  • Admissions
    • First-Year Admissions, Undergraduate
    • Transfer Admissions, Undergraduate
    • International Admissions, Undergraduate
    • Early College Program: The Clarkson School
    • Graduate School Admissions
    • Financial Aid
    • Apply Now
  • Campus Life
    • Office of Student Life
    • Student Clubs & Activities
    • Living on Campus
    • Campus Dining
    • Clarkson Ignite
    • Career & International Experiences
    • Explore the Region
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Student Health & Counseling
    • ROTC
    • Office of the Dean of Students
  • Research
  • Athletics
  • News
  • Search

CU • News & Events

Clarkson Professor Awarded Nearly $200K NSF ERI Grant to Study Advanced Alloy Electrocatalysts

Release Date
Wednesday May 10, 2023

Ian McCrum, an assistant professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the Coulter School of Engineering was recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) grant. His project will allow him to determine how atomic-scale interactions between two or more metals present in a unique type of surface alloy he and his team have developed dictate its performance as an electrocatalyst in electrolyzers and fuel cells. These catalysts are necessary to increase the rates of chemical reactions. Through this process, the team will be able to predictively design and synthesize better-performing alloy catalysts for a given chemical reaction, instead of having to tirelessly test thousands of combinations of metals one by one. 

Headshot, Ian McCrum

Their work will focus on nitrogen reduction, a reaction in which renewable electricity can be used in an electrolyzer to convert atmospheric nitrogen and water into ammonia, one of the most widely used fertilizers. Identifying better catalysts will enable nitrogen reduction to occur more efficiently, selectively, and at lower cost, so that it may eventually replace traditional ammonia production from fossil fuels. The recent transition to clean energy technology has stimulated research in alternative energy sources and the associated research and development of electrocatalytic processes for both chemical manufacturing and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

“This grant is important because it will allow us to perform fundamental and cutting-edge research on surface science and electrocatalysis, using our research group's unique experimental and computational modeling capabilities. This will provide a great foundation on which to grow our research group here at Clarkson. This grant will fund one graduate student for two years, as well as research experiences for undergraduate students over the next two summers – giving them hands-on experience in the lab and in quantum mechanics-based computational modeling,” McCrum said.

To learn more about the project, go to https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301427&HistoricalAwards=false.

As a private, national research university, Clarkson is a leader in technological education and sustainable economic development through teaching, scholarship, research and innovation. We ignite personal connections across academic fields and industries to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutions and cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. With its main campus located in Potsdam, N.Y., and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region, Beacon, N.Y., and New York City, Clarkson educates 4,600+ students across 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, the arts, education, sciences and health professions. Our alumni earn salaries that are among the top 2.5% in the nation and realize accelerated career growth. One in five already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. To learn more about Clarkson University, go to www.clarkson.edu.


Photograph for media use is available at:
/sites/default/files/media/image/2023-03/Ian-McCrum.jpg

Photograph Size:
Width: 439px
Height: 480px

News directors and editors: For more information, contact Jake Newman, Director of Media Relations, at 315-268-6764 or jnewman@clarkson.edu.

Schools at Clarkson

  • Graduate School
  • School of Arts & Sciences
  • David D. Reh School of Business
  • Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering
  • Earl R. and Barbara D. Lewis School of Health Sciences
  • Institute for a Sustainable Environment
  • Early College Program: The Clarkson School
  • Institute for STEM Education
  • Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries

Highlights of Excellence

  • Career Center
  • Honors Program
  • ROTC
  • Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design (SPEED)
  • Student Success Center
  • Writing Center

Research & Innovation

  • Clarkson Center for Complex Systems Science (C3S2)
  • The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP)
  • Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering & Science (CAARES)
  • Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR)
  • The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science & Technology (CREST)
  • NYS Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions
  • The Shipley Center for Innovation
  • Clarkson Ignite
  • University Libraries

Clarkson University

8 Clarkson Ave., Potsdam, New York 13699 315-268-6400
80 Nott Terrace, Schenectady, NY 12308 518-631-9831
199 Dennings Ave., Beacon, New York 12508 845-838-1600
Take a Virtual Tour

Organizational Chart
© 2023 by Clarkson University | Web Accessibility Assistance

  • Human Resources • Giving • Bookstore
  • CARES Act Reports & Consumer Information Disclosures (HEOA)
  • Act on Legal & Moral Concerns