The Materials Research Society (MRS) has selected Stafford Sheehan, Air Company, as the 2021 recipient of the MRS Nelson “Buck” Robinson Science and Technology Award for Renewable Energy. This award, endowed by Sophie Robinson in memory of her father, Nelson “Buck” Robinson, recognizes the development of novel sustainable solutions for the realization of renewable sources of energy. Sheehan was selected based on his achievement of developing and commercializing a reactor and catalyst for conversion of CO2 into hydrocarbon products, starting with ethanol for vodka.
Sheehan will accept the honor at the 2021 MRS Fall Meeting during the MRS Award Recipients—Lightning Talks and Panel Discussion virtual event on Tuesday, December 7, at 12:00 pm (EST). During this event, he will present his lecture, Progress toward CO2 Conversion to Renewable Fuel at Air Company, and serve as a panelist with fellow award recipients.
Sheehan is the Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Air Company. The company uses captured CO2, H2O, and renewable electricity to produce alcohols efficiently and selectively, and has scaled its technology and business to over 30 employees in New York, New Jersey and Calgary. Stafford received his PhD degree from Yale University in 2016, studying chemical methods for artificial photosynthesis and related systems, and for the last five years, has been developing industrial technology for CO2 utilization.
Photo of Sheehan available upon request at mrs.org/contact.
About the Materials Research Society
MRS is an organization of over 13,000 materials researchers from academia, industry and government worldwide, and a recognized leader in promoting the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research and technology to improve the quality of life. MRS members are students and professionals hailing from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and engineering—the full spectrum of materials research. Headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania (USA), MRS membership now spans 90 countries, with approximately 45 percent of members residing outside the United States.
MRS serves and engages members across generations to advance their careers and promote materials research and innovation. The Society produces high-quality meetings and publications, assuring that members of all career stages can present and publish their most important and timely work to an international and interdisciplinary audience. MRS continues to expand its professional development portfolio, as well as promote diversity and inclusion in the scientific workforce, with career services for researchers worldwide. The Society advocates for the importance of scientific research and innovation to policymakers and the community. And the MRS Awards program honors those whose work has already had a major impact in the field, as well as those whose work shows great promise for future leadership.
For more information about the Materials Research Society visit
mrs.org and follow
@Materials_MRS.