Steve Farrell, a research associate at the Inner-Shell Spectroscopy (ISS) beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), has been selected as one of 2024’s Distinguished Goldhaber Fellows. These prestigious three-year fellowships are awarded to exceptional candidates who have demonstrated their expertise and talent as well as their drive to pursue independent research. At the end of their appointment, fellows are encouraged to apply for scientific staff positions at the Laboratory. Farrell aims to focus on projects related to clean, affordable energy leveraging his background in chemistry and materials science.
“I came in the door with a lot of ideas, and the mentors and collaborators I worked with here at Brookhaven helped me streamline and craft them into a good, cohesive project built around so many of my hopes and dreams,” Farrell said. “I work on a lot of cool projects here, but I was able to better tune my vision to what could be helpful in the long run: humanity-centered projects in the scope of DOE’s mission—like affordable energy security—and clean energy.”
Farrell specializes in catalysis, which involves altering a chemical reaction's speed using a substance that is not consumed in the process. He is particularly interested in net-zero-carbon approaches such as reusing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide or methane for critical chemical processes requiring catalysis.
“I’m focused on the materials aspect of catalysis and getting a better understanding of how catalysts work,” said Farrell. “For centuries, people have used catalysis to produce chemicals and often had no idea how the process worked... We want to understand how these catalysts work at the atomic level... Now, we’re seeing that we can achieve a lot of these reactions at much lower temperatures.”
Farrell’s Goldhaber Distinguished Fellowship research proposal focuses on "developing vital carbon-neutral pathways to clean energy via the conversion of natural gas to value-added chemicals." His work will utilize Brookhaven Lab’s Chemistry Division resources and synchrotron X-ray techniques at NSLS-II. New high-pressure catalysis tools available only at ISS beamline allow real-time observation of high-pressure reactions.
Performing impactful research has honed Farrell's skills as a scientific communicator. Explaining his work clearly is something he practices with friends and family who are interested in clean energy science.
“I have friends and family who are really excited about the latest in clean energy science... A big step in learning to communicate specialized research... is to have them repeat what you’ve said back to you,” said Farrell.
As a native New Yorker familiar with Brookhaven Lab since childhood, Farrell's interest in science was sparked by an elementary school field trip. His passion for engineering led him from Drexel University for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering back to New York University for his doctorate in materials chemistry.
“The team at ISS, led by Eli Stavitski, has been great... They let me know what is practical and possible... The Chemistry Division at Brookhaven Lab has also been instrumental... It has been an amazing opportunity,” Farrell said.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office is dedicated to addressing some pressing challenges through basic research in physical sciences.