Matthew Kanan

Matthew Kanan is a Professor of Chemistry and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University. His research focuses on catalysis, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry, with an emphasis on developing new catalysts and chemical reactions for renewable energy conversion and CO2 utilization. His group has pioneered methods to create plastic from carbon dioxide and inedible plant material, and studied defect-rich heterogeneous electro-catalysts for converting CO2 and CO to liquid fuel. Kanan completed his undergraduate studies in chemistry at Rice University and earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Harvard University. He conducted postdoctoral research at MIT on water oxidation catalysis. His work spans organic synthesis, materials chemistry, and electrochemistry, aiming to enable scalable CO2 utilization technologies.

Matthew Kanan is a researcher at Stanford University focusing on chemical manufacturing, resource recovery, energy conversion, and carbon management. His work explores electrochemical processes for sustainable energy systems, particularly in the areas of carbon dioxide reduction and oxygen evolution reactions. Kanan's research includes the development of catalysts for efficient CO2 electroreduction, such as oxide-derived copper and gold nanoparticles, and the investigation of cobalt-phosphate compounds for water oxidation. His studies also examine the role of grain boundaries and microstructural features in enhancing catalytic activity. These efforts aim to advance low-temperature carbon dioxide electrolysis and improve the efficiency of carbon utilization technologies.