CEMS researchers awarded grant to develop sustainable fuel production
Kelsey Stoerzinger (left) and Matthew Neurock (right) will lead this project looking for a sustainable solution to the creation of chemicals and fuels.
Kelsey Stoerzinger (left) and Matthew Neurock (right) will lead this project looking for a sustainable solution to the creation of chemicals and fuels.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/21/2026) — Researchers Associate Professor Kelsey Stoerzinger and Professor Matthew Neurock from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have been awarded a grant from the Toyota Research Institute to transform how we create essential chemicals and fuels.

The three-year project, running through March 2029, aims to harness renewable electricity to power chemical reactions that currently require extreme heat and pressure, potentially revolutionizing the path toward a zero-emissions future.

Most industrial chemical processes today rely on burning fossil fuels to reach the high temperatures — often thousands of degrees — needed to break down stable molecules. The team is using electrocatalysis, a process that uses small voltages and electrical currents to drive these same transformations under much milder conditions.

Learn more about this innovative new research by reading the full story on the CSE website.

Learn more about the Stoerzinger Research Group at their research group website.

Learn more about the Neurock Research Group at their research group website.

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