We are pleased to announce that Dr. Michael A. Reynolds has been named the recipient of the 2025 AIChE Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division Practice Award for his leadership and scientific contributions to the development of new catalysts and process technologies that enable sustainable energy production across oil refining, renewable fuels, and hydrogen liquefaction.
Dr. Reynolds is a Principal Science Fellow at Shell Catalysts and Technologies in Houston, Texas, where he leads programs from catalyst discovery through commercialization. His work over a 22-year career has been impactful, resulting in production improvements while also delivering measurable environmental benefits through the creation of sustainable processes. His current leadership in renewable catalyst commercialization for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) directly addresses urgent global challenges in the energy transition. His recent innovations in hydrogen liquefaction technology further align with emerging priorities in clean energy.
Dr. Reynolds has made significant contributions in bitumen upgrading, catalysts for SAF production, water treatment, Shale gas recovery, and ortho/para hydrogen conversion. He has authored more than 32 patents and 30 peer-reviewed publications and has been an invited speaker at over 40 universities and conferences. He is also a dedicated mentor and educator, serving since 2012 as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University.
Dr. Reynolds is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and has held leadership roles in the North American Catalysis Society, the Southwest Catalysis Society, and the ACS. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Michigan State University, a Ph.D. from Iowa State University, and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
A special session in Dr. Reynolds’s honor will be held at the 2026 AIChE Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, with the formal award presentation planned for the 2025 Annual Meeting CRE Division banquet in Boston.
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