Byron H. Farnum

Byron H. Farnum is the Lloyd and Sandra Nix Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Auburn University. His academic journey includes a B.S. from the University of South Carolina (2008) and an M.S./Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University (2012). He held a postdoctoral position at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (2012–2016) before joining Auburn as an Assistant Professor (2016–2022) and advancing to his current role in 2022.

His research focuses on photo/electrochemical reactions of inorganic nanomaterials and small molecules, with emphasis on solar energy conversion, electrochemical energy storage, and optoelectronics. Techniques used include electrochemistry (CV, RRDE), spectroscopy (UV-Vis, NMR, XPS), and microscopy (SEM, TEM). Key projects involve designing redox mediators for solar cells and exploring spinel oxides for catalysis.

Farnum’s honors include the NSF CAREER Award (2020) and the UNC Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence (2015). His team has produced over 50 publications, with recent work highlighted in ACS Catalysis, Inorganic Chemistry, and Journal of Materials Chemistry A. He advises Ph.D. students like Humaira Yeasmin and collaborates with groups at the University of Mississippi and UNC Chapel Hill.

His lab hosts annual summer parties and has trained undergraduates such as Juan Contreras. Current projects include zinc-catalyzed redox couples for batteries and defect-engineered perovskites for water splitting.