Principal Investigator

Biography

Neil Razdan received his B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UC Berkeley in 2017. In his undergraduate, he worked with Profs. Radke and Prausnitz studying the separation of biofuels and persistent organic pollutants, or "forever chemicals", from aqueous media. During his graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, Neil developed his interest in catalysis, earning a Ph.D. under the tutelage of Aditya Bhan. His thesis work integrated detailed experimentation and analytical theory with a dedicated focus on the kinetic and mechanistic characterization of heterogeneously-catalyzed reactions, namely methane dehydroaromatization. From Minnesota, Neil travelled further east to MIT as an Arnold O. Beckman postdoctoral scholar under the supervision of Yogesh Surendranath in the Department of Chemistry. During his time at MIT, he allied fundamental concepts in electrochemistry, mass transport, chemical kinetics, and thermodynamics to develop technologies for high-precision measurement of interfacial pH and electrochemical potential at catalytic surfaces. In July 2024, Neil is returning to the CBE department at UC Berkeley as an Assistant Professor. His research group is focused on advancing basic understanding of catalytic technologies relevant to decarbonization and energy sustainability. 

Outside of teaching and research, Neil enjoys going for walks, playing pickleball, cooking, and supporting Arsenal FC.