Picture of Dr. Jason E. Bara

Professor

Chemical and Biological Engineering

3072E SERC
 (205) 348-6836
 (205) 348-7558
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Education

  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2007
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2002

Biography

Dr. Jason Bara’s research group is focused on development of advanced polymer materials, processes for clean energy production, green chemical manufacture, 3‐D printing, big data, and scientific apps for iPhones and iPads.

Bara is a recognized leader in the design and synthesis of advanced polymers and composites based on ionic liquids.  These materials provide unprecedented opportunities to create stable nanostructured materials with highly tunable chemical and physical properties for applications including gas separation membranes, water purification, superabsorbents and self-healing and shape-memory thermoplastic elastomers that can be 3‐D printed.

Capturing carbon dioxide from industrial is one of the greatest engineering challenges of the 21st Century. Bara’s group focuses on the design and study of new high‐performance solvents to efficiently capture CO2 and/or SO2 at various process conditions. Several solvents developed in Bara’s lab are in the process of being commercialized and have been tested in large pilot plant demonstration projects.

Bara’s group is also studying “green” solvents from glycerol and other renewable resources and developing straightforward methodologies for their mass production.

Bara has also developed several widely used apps for iPhones/iPads including Chemical Engineering AppSuite, ODEsseus and Engineering Unit Converter.

Honors and Awards

  • ASEE Ray W. Fahien Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Education, American Society for Engineering Education, 2018
  • David Himmelblau Award for Innovation in Computer-based Chemical Engineering Education, AIChE CAST Division, 2017
  • FRI/John G. Kunesh Award, AIChE Separations Division, 2015
  • Early Career Fellow – ACS Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division (2021)
  • Membranes (MDPI) – Young Investigator Award (2019)