Elijah Thimsen

Elijah Thimsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, affiliated with the McKelvey School of Engineering. He leads research in plasma technology integration with renewable energy, decarbonization, and energy storage. His affiliations include the Center for Aerosol Science and Engineering (CASE) and the Institute of Materials Science & Engineering.

Education: PhD in Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (Washington University, 2009); BS in Mechanical Engineering (University of Minnesota, 2005).

Research focuses on plasma-driven materials synthesis, waste-to-energy systems, and nonlinear thermodynamics in nonequilibrium systems. Key interests include aerosol processes, electrochemistry, and semiconductor nanostructures. Recent work explores lignin-derived fuels/chemicals and plasma-water interface dynamics.

Awards include NSF and DOE Early Career Awards (2019) for his contributions to plasma-based energy systems.

Labs/Teams: Active in Brauer Hall labs (Room 3043), collaborating on interdisciplinary projects like the NSF outreach initiative to modernize high school thermodynamics education.