Joan Brennecke

Joan Brennecke is a Professor and holds the Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin's McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering (Cockrell School of Engineering). She leads research in environmentally benign chemical processes, focusing on ionic liquids and supercritical CO₂ for separations and reactions. Her work emphasizes sustainable solvents and energy-efficient processes.

Education: Ph.D. (1989), M.S. (1987), and B.S. (1984) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois and University of Texas at Austin.

Research Interests: Development of ionic liquids for gas separations, CO₂ utilization, and greener chemical processes. Her group investigates phase behavior, material design, and applications in carbon capture and membrane technologies. Recent work includes atomic force microscopy studies of ionic liquid surfaces and CO₂ interaction studies.

• Awards: E.V. Murphree Award (2014), National Academy of Engineering (2012), NSF Presidential Young Investigator (1991).
• Key Contributions: Over 200+ publications, including high-impact work in Langmuir, Angewandte Chemie, and Science.
• Leadership: Deputy Director of the NSF-funded CISTAR Center, advancing alkane resource transformation.

Labs/Teams: Brennecke Research Group focuses on ionic liquid applications, with collaborations in membrane science and green chemistry. The group engages in public outreach (e.g., Frozen Chemistry Show) and K-12 STEM education initiatives.