I’m working to develop selective metal oxide catalysts for solid acid catalysis. I’m using two strategies to impact selectivity: 1) poisoning either Bronsted or Lewis acid sites, and 2) coating catalysts with self-assembled monolayers. My current project is focused on the dehydration of glycerol, a byproduct in the production of biodiesel, to acrolein, a polymer precursor that could be made into materials such as diapers.