Jesse Tye

Jesse Tye is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Ball State University's College of Sciences and Humanities. He teaches general and inorganic chemistry courses and laboratories, and leads a research group focused on synthesizing transition metal complexes for environmentally significant reactions like fossil fuel desulfurization, carbon dioxide hydrogenation, and biomass fuel energy density enhancement. His work combines experimental techniques (e.g., x-ray crystallography, electrochemistry) with DFT computational analysis to understand catalytic mechanisms.

• B.S. in Chemistry, University of Kentucky (2001)
• Ph.D. in Inorganic and Computational Chemistry, Texas A&M University (2006)
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Illinois (2009)

Research interests revolve around organometallic catalysts inspired by [FeFe] hydrogenase enzyme active sites. His lab develops dimetal complexes to mimic enzyme functions for dihydrogen production and investigates reaction mechanisms using electrochemical and computational methods. Other projects target sustainable energy solutions via biomass-derived fuels and fossil fuel remediation.

Scientific trends across his publications include transition metal catalysis, renewable energy applications, enzyme-inspired chemistry, computational reaction modeling, electrochemical analysis, and organometallic synthesis. Studies often bridge experimental and theoretical approaches.

Students in his lab gain expertise in air-free synthesis, spectroscopic characterization (NMR, IR), single-crystal x-ray diffraction, electrochemical techniques, and computational methods like DFT. The group emphasizes problem identification, strategic innovation, and rigorous mechanistic investigation in organometallic chemistry.