Canan Karakaya

Canan Karakaya is a Professor and Chair of Chemical Technology at the Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). She holds a concurrent appointment as Research Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines since January 2016. Her primary contact is canan.karakaya@kit.edu. She is a core member of the Deutschmann Group, leading research in advanced chemical processes.

Education:

• PhD (2012): Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Thesis: Surface Kinetics for Methane/Propane Oxidation/Reforming over Rh/Al₂O₃, advised by Prof. Olaf Deutschmann.
• MSc (2008): Kocaeli University. Thesis: Perovskite Catalysts for Methane Catalytic Activity.
• BSc (2003): Kocaeli University. Ranked 1st in Chemical Engineering (out of 120) and 2nd in all engineering programs (out of 1500).

Research Focus: Her work spans catalyst design, gas-to-liquid processes, and kinetic modeling. She develops novel reactor concepts (e.g., stagnation flow reactors) and investigates catalyst deactivation mechanisms. Recent studies also explore hydrogen/oxygen membranes, supercritical fluid dynamics, and solar cell materials via chemical vapor deposition.

Professional Experience: Prior roles include Postdoctoral Fellow (2013–2016) and Research Assistant Professor (2016–present) at Colorado School of Mines. Earlier, she conducted doctoral research at KIT and served as a Research Assistant at Kocaeli University. She also worked in industrial R&D at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals (2003–2005).

Grants & Teams: Leads interdisciplinary projects in catalysis and energy systems. Active in the Deutschmann Group at KIT, collaborating on reactor design and material innovation.