Caroline Saouma

Caroline Saouma is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Tech, part of the College of Science. Her research focuses on catalytic processes for energy conversion, particularly CO₂ reduction and hydrogenation reactions. She earned a B.S. from MIT (2005), a Ph.D. from Caltech (2011), and completed postdoctoral work at the University of Washington (2011–2013). Her group investigates ligand/catalyst design, reaction energetics, and methods to control metal hydride reactivity for sustainable energy solutions. Techniques include electrochemistry, spectroscopy, and computational methods.

Key honors include the NSF CAREER Award (2020), Catalysis Science & Technology Emerging Investigator (2022), and the NBA Utah Jazz/Instructure Most Valuable Educator (2022). She advises 17 students, emphasizing synthetic and analytical skills. Her work spans CO₂ hydrogenation to formate, photocatalytic frameworks (e.g., UiO-66), and proton-coupled electron transfer mechanisms. Recent publications highlight advancements in catalyst design and thermodynamic analysis. She leads the Saouma Research Group, prioritizing sustainability through interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Education:
  • B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005
  • Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 2011
  • NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Washington, 2011–2013
• Research Themes:
  • Catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂
  • Design of ligand-metal systems
  • Electrochemical and photochemical energy conversion
  • Metal hydride reactivity control
• Lab Techniques:
  • Organic/inorganic synthesis
  • NMR/IR/UV-vis spectroscopy
  • Single-crystal X-ray diffraction
  • Electrochemical methods
  • DFT calculations

Her articles (2016–2023) emphasize CO₂ reduction pathways, MOF photocatalysis, and thermodynamic analysis of metal complexes. Teaching innovations include recognition as Utah’s top non-K-12 educator (2022). Current projects aim to integrate carbon capture with electrochemical recycling systems.