Sylvain Cristol

Sylvain Cristol is a Professor at the University of Lille within the Heterogeneous Catalysis department and the Modeling and Spectroscopy (MODSPEC) group. He teaches quantum chemistry, chemical bonding, statistical physics, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the university’s European Master’s program.

• PhD in Molecular and Organic Chemistry (1997-2000, Université de Provence)
• Postdoctoral work at Davy-Faraday Research Lab, Royal Institution of Great Britain (2000-2002)

His research focuses on modeling hydrodesulfurization and hydrodeoxygenation catalysts for biomass valorization, supported by ANR-PNRB project ECOHDOC (with Caen, Poitiers, and TOTAL). He pioneered operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy for characterizing supported oxides (Mo/Re on alumina/anatase) via the ANR SAXO project (Paris VI, Grenoble, SOLEIL). Collaborative work with Francesco Mauri (Paris VI) advanced NMR parameter modeling in solids. Publications span DFT studies, XANES spectroscopy, and solid-state NMR applied to catalysis. Scientific awards include the UCCS Thesis Prize (highest honors) for his work on dibenzothiophene reactivity on molybdenum sulfide.