Andrew Gellman

Andrew Gellman is the Lord Professor of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, with courtesy appointments in Chemistry and Materials Science. He has been a faculty member since 1992, previously serving as Department Head (2003–2013) and Co-Director of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (1985) and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Caltech (1981).

Gellman's research bridges surface chemistry, catalysis, and chiral materials science. He pioneered methods for studying enantioselective reactions on chiral metal surfaces and high-throughput screening of alloy catalysts. Current work focuses on energy-related applications, including decarbonization and sustainable catalysis. His group utilizes experimental and computational approaches to understand atomic-scale surface phenomena.

His recent publications (2023–2025) reveal three dominant themes: 1) Machine learning-driven design of chiral catalysts, 2) Composition-activity relationships in alloy surfaces, and 3) Reaction mechanisms in hydrogenation and decomposition processes. Over 80% of articles involve interdisciplinary techniques spanning surface science, computational modeling, and materials characterization.

Major scientific recognitions include:

• Packard Fellowship (1989–94)
• Ipatieff Prize (1998)
• Fellow of American Chemical Society (2011)
• Fellow of AVS (2012)

He mentors graduate researchers like Robert Burnley (catalysis/surface science) and Ian Martin (energy materials). As Director of the NETL Regional University Alliance (2008–2014), he managed multi-institutional energy research collaborations. Current projects investigate chirality-driven pharmaceutical synthesis and alloy corrosion resistance.

Gellman leads the Catalysis and Surface Science Laboratory, specializing in ultrahigh-vacuum surface analysis and combinatorial materials synthesis. The lab collaborates with ETH Zurich, Cambridge University, and the University of Pau.