- 3010 North Engineering Research Center
- Phone (205) 348-6619
- Faculty Website
Dr. James Sheehan
Assistant Professor
Contact
- 3010 North Engineering Research Center
- phone (205) 348-6619
- Faculty Website
Research Areas
Education
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2014
- Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 2019
James D. Sheehan, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of Alabama. His research program investigates interfacial engineering of bio-polymeric composites, thermocatalytic biorefining of lignocellulosic biomass, and chemical upcycling of waste plastics. His group evaluates supercritical fluids (dense, compressible, and tunable fluid phases) as media for processing polymeric materials and evaluates the effects of plasticization and swelling on interfacial modification and chemical reactivity of synthetic and biogenic macromolecules. His research has applications for creating sustainable food packaging, biochemical platform molecules, and biogenic carbon-based fuels.
Affiliated Areas
Chemical and Biological Engineering, Polymers and Soft Materials Research Center
Selected Publications
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Agwu, K.A.; Ekeoma, B. C.; Enguita, J.M.; Daymude, J.W.; Bara, J.E.; Sheehan, J.D. ” Glycerol-Derived Solvents for Tractable Organosolv Extraction of Softwood Lignins”. ACS Sustain Chem Eng. 2024, 12, 15089−15102, DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c04801
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Ekeoma, B. C.; Bara, J.E.; Sheehan, J.D. “Glycerol-derived ethers enable hydrogen-free reductive catalytic fractionation of softwood lignin into functionalized aromatic monomers”. RSC Sustainability. 2024, 2, 2851-2870, DOI: 10.1039/D4SU00441H
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Sheehan, J.D.; Ebikade, E.; Vlachos, D.G.; Lobo, R.F. “Lignin-based Water-Soluble Polymers Exhibiting Biodegradability and Activity as Flocculating Agents”. ACS Sustain Chem Eng. 2022. DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c01428
Awards and Honors
- Leadership Board Director, Forest Bioproducts Division, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, November 2023
- Director, Forest Bioproducts Division, AIChE, 2024 to 2026
- ACS PRF Doctoral New Investigator 2023
- Early Career Board (ECB) of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2023-2024)
- RSC Advances Outstanding Peer Reviewers 2x (2022, 2023)
Dr. Sheehan's Impact
NSF-funded Summer Program Grants Research Experience to Local Students and Educators
This summer, Dr. Steven Weinman hosted a six-week summer program for undergraduate and graduate students from Stillman College, Shelton State Community College, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Lawson...
Bama Abroad: Chemical and Biological Engineering Faculty Travel to Nigeria for Recruiting Trip
With an enrollment number of more than 5,000, the UA College of Engineering is home to students from countless states and countries across the globe. As such, one of the...