James Sheehan

Assistant Professor

Dr. James D. Sheehan joined the department of chemical and biological engineering in August 2021. Sheehan earned his Bachelor of Science in chemical and biological engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He pursued doctoral studies in the department of chemical engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, where his doctoral research focused on experimental and kinetic modeling studies of thermochemical depolymerization of biopolymers and organic reactions of small biomolecules in sub- and supercritical water. After defending his dissertation, Sheehan joined the Catalysis Center of Energy Innovation at the University of Delaware as a postdoctoral research associate and contributed to projects focusing catalytic depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass and synthesis of lignin-based, water-soluble polymers.

Sheehan’s research program at UA develops thermocatalytic and supercritical fluid processes to valorize plant residues and waste plastics into value-added materials and small molecules. He has (co)authored 13 publications. He is currently a director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Forest Bioproducts Division and is on the Early Career Advisory Board of the scientific journal, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. He is an active reviewer for scientific journals and was one of 21 recognized by RSC Advances as a 2022 Outstanding Peer Reviewer. He is a recent recipient of an ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award 2023. His research program is currently supported by National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture and American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund.