Jason received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Kansas in 2014 and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Purdue University in 2019. At Purdue, he studied the fundamental kinetic contributions of solvation and active site structure to dehydration reactions relevant to biomass upgrading using structurally well-defined Lewis acid and Brønsted acid zeolite catalysts. He was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the Department of Chemistry, where he bridged the fields of thermal and electrocatalysis through studies of catalysts consisting of atomically dispersed metals incorporated into nitrogen-doped carbon.

In the Bates research group, we synthesize catalysts with well-defined structures and use quantitative kinetic measurements and characterizations of their active centers to elucidate structure–reactivity relationships. Our studies are enriched by a network of collaborations (e.g., theorists) and advanced characterization tools at national laboratories. We apply our approach to study catalytic technologies relevant for decarbonization of the energy and chemical industries.

Selected Publications

Chemical Kinetic Method for Active-Site Quantification in Fe-N-C Catalysts and Correlation with Molecular Probe and Spectroscopic Site-Counting Methods. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145, 26222–26237. Abstract

Molecular Catalyst Synthesis Strategies to Prepare Atomically Dispersed Fe-N-C Heterogeneous Catalysts. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 18797–18802. Abstract

Heterogeneous M-N-C Catalysts for Aerobic Oxidation Reactions: Lessons from Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts. Chem. Rev. 2023, Doi: 10.1021/Acs.chemrev.2c00424. Abstract

Chemical and Electrochemical O2 Reduction on Earth-Abundant M-N-C Catalysts and Implications for Mediated Electrolysis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 922–927. Abstract

Kinetic Effects of Molecular Clustering and Solvation by Extended Networks in Zeolite Acid Catalysis. Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 4699–4708. Abstract

Structure and Solvation of Confined Water and Water-Ethanol Clusters within Microporous Brønsted Acids and their Effects on Ethanol Dehydration Catalysis. Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 7102–7122. Abstract

Distinct Catalytic Reactivity of Sn Substituted in Framework Locations and at Defect Grain Boundaries in Sn-Zeolites. ACS Catal. 2019, 9, 6146–6168. Abstract