Travis Williams

• NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, California Institute of Technology, 07/2005 – 07/2007

Tenure Track Appointments

• Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California, 10/26/2018 –
• Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 01/01/2014 – 12/31/2018
• Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California, 02/21/2013 – 10/25/2018
• Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California, 07/15/2007 – 02/20/2013

PostDoctoral Appointments

• NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, California Institute of Technology, 07/01/2005 – 06/30/2007

Contracts and Grants Awarded

• Detection and Conversion of Marine Debris to Make High-Value Products as a Tool to Protect Coastal C, (NOAA Sea Grant NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-23706), Clay Wang, Travis J. Williams, Richard W. Roberts, Joe Arvai, $1,999,255, 09/01/2024 – 08/31/2027
• Chemical Hydrogen Storage Media with Value-Added Co-Products, (DOE EERE DE-EE-0011096), Travis J. Williams, John C. Gordon, Robert P. Currier, Matthias Selke, $1,000,000, 01/01/2024 – 12/13/2026
• BRITE Pivot: Remanufacturing Post-Consumer Carbon Fiber Composite Materials, (NSF CMMI-2227649), Travis J. Williams, $600,000, 01/01/2023 – 12/31/2025
• Enabling Innovation in Plastics Circularity through Interdisciplinary Education, (NIST 60NANB22D134), Barry C. Thompson, Travis J. Williams, Megan E. Fieser, $500,000, 01/01/2023 – 12/31/2025
• FMSG: Building a Multidisciplinary Team for Sustainable Composite Manufacturing, (NSF CMMI-2134658), S. K. Gupta, Nutt, Williams, Ragusa, $500,000, 01/01/2022 – 12/31/2024

Conference Presentations

• Controlling Metal-Ligand Coordination from the Second Sphere: Applications from Energy Storage to MRI Imaging , Gordon L. Hodgson Memorial LectureshipTalk/Oral Presentation, GalaxoSmithKline, Invited, Research Triangle Park, NC, 10/29/2014

Journal Article

• Olivar, C., Yu, Z., Miller, B., Tangalos, M., Jenkinson, C., Nutt, S. R., Oakley, B. R., Wang, C. C., Williams, T. J. (2024). Composite Recycling with Biocatalytic Thermoset Reforming. J. Am. Chem. Soc.. Vol. 146, pp. ASAP. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c10838.
• Lu, Z., Mitra, D., Narayan, S. R., Williams, T. (2024). An Immobilized (Carbene)Nickel Catalyst for Water Oxidation. Polyhedron. Vol. 252, pp. 116880. DOI: 10.1016/j.poly.2024.116880. Elsevier
• Cherepakhin, V., Williams, T. (2024). Recycling Organoiridium Waste to [(1,5-Cyclooctadiene)IrCl]2. Green Chem.. Vol. 26, pp. in press. DOI: 10.1039/d4gc00151f. RSC
• Lim, Y., Wong, B., Macfee, K., Cueva, A., Martinez, E., Paxton, C., Barnes, R., Kleinsasser, E., Williams, T. (2024). A Polymer Degradation and Remanufacturing Experiment in the High School Classroom. J. Chem. Educ.. Vol. 101, pp. 131-135. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00692. ACS Publications
• Yu, Z., Lim, J. Y., Williams, T., Nutt, S. (2023). A Rapid Electrochemical Method to Recycle Carbon Fiber Composites Using Methyl Radicals. Green Chem.. Vol. 25, pp. 7058-7061. DOI: 10.1039/d3gc017657.
• Zhang, L., Lu, Z., Rander, A. R., Williams, T. J. (2023). An Ambient Pressure, Direct Hydrogenation of Ketones. Chem. Commun.. Vol. 59, pp. 8107-8110. DOI: 10.1039/d3cc01014g.
• Rabot, C., Chen, Y., Lin, S., Miller, B., Chiang, Y., Oakley, C. E., Oakley, B. R., Wang, C. C., Williams, T. J. (2023). Polystyrene Upcycling into Fungal Natural Products and a Biocontrol Agent. J. Am. Chem. Soc. Vol. 145, pp. 5222-5230. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c12285.
• Rabot, C., Chen, Y., Bijlani, S., Chiang, Y., Oakley, C. E., Oakley, B. R., Williams, T. J., Wang, C. C. (2023). Conversion of Polyethylenes to Fungal Secondary Metabolites. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.. Vol. 62, pp. e202214609.
• Do, V. K., Alfonso Vargas, N., Chavez, A. J., Zhang, L., Cherepakhin, V., Lu, Z., Currier, R. P., Dub, P. A., Gordon, J. C., Williams, T. J. (2022). Pressurized Formic Acid Dehydrogenation: An Entropic Spring Replaces Hydrogen Compression Cost. Catal. Sci. Technol.. (12), pp. 2361-2368. DOI: 10.1039/D2CY00676F. PubMed Web Address
• Kim, E., Cardosa, G. B., Stanley, K. E., Williams, T. J., McCurry, D. L. (2022). Out of Thin Air? Catalytic Oxidation of Trace Aqueous Aldehydes with Ambient Dissolved Oxygen. Environ. Sci. Technol.. Vol. 56 (12), pp. 8756–8764. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c00192.
• Koskela, K. M., Quiton, S. J., Mallikarjun Sharada, S., Williams, T. J., Brutchey, R. L. (2022). Kinetics and Mechanistic Details of Bulk ZnO Dissolution Using a Thiol–Imidazole System. Chem. Sci.. Vol. 13, pp. 3208-3215. DOI: 10.1039/D1SC06667F.
• Navarro, C. A., Ma, Y., Michael, K., Breunig, H., Nutt, S. R., Williams, T. J. (2021). Catalytic, Aerobic Depolymerization of Epoxy Thermoset Composites. Green Chem.. Vol. 23, pp. 6356-6360. DOI: 10.1039/D1GC01970H.
• Williams, T. J., Alfonso, N., Do, V. K., Chavez, A. J., Chen, Y. (2021). Catalyst Carbonylation: A Hidden, but Essential, Step in Reaction Initiation. Catal. Sci. Tech.. pp. DOI: 10.1039/D1CY00322D.
• Cherepakhin, V., Williams, T. J. (2021). Direct Oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Carboxylic Acids. Synthesis. pp. DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1706102.
• Navarro, C. A., Giffin, C. R., Zhang, B., Yu, Z., Nutt, S. R., Williams, T. J. (2020). A Structural Chemistry Look at Composites Recycling. Mater. Horiz.. Vol. 7, pp. 2479. DOI: 10.1039/D0MH01085E.
• Cherepakhin, V., Hellman, A., Lan, Z., Mallikarjun Sharada, S., Williams, T. J. (2020). Heterobimetallic Complexes of IrM (M = FeII, CoII, and NiII) Core and Bridging 2-(Diphenylphosphino)pyridine: Electronic Structure and Electrochemical Behavior. Dalton Trans.. Vol. 49, pp. 10509-10515. DOI: 10.1039/d0dt01801e.
• Nalikezhathu, A., Cherepakhin, V., Williams, T. J. (2020). Ruthenium Catalyzed Tandem Pictet–Spengler Reaction. Org. Lett.. Vol. 22, pp. 4979–4984. DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.0c01485.
• Ma, Y., Navarro, C. A., Williams, T. J., Nutt, S. R. (2020). Recovery and Reuse of Acid-Digested Amine/Epoxy-Based Composite Matrices. Poly. Degrad. Stab.. Vol. 175, pp. 108125. DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2020.109125.
• Williams, T. J., Demianets, I., Cherepakhin, V., Maertens, A., Lauridsen, P. J., Mallikarjun Sharada, S. (2020). A New Mechanism of Metal-Ligand Cooperative Catalysis in Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones. Polyhedron. Vol. 182, pp. 114508. DOI: 10.1016/j.poly.2020.114508.
• Coricello, A., Adams, J. D., Lein, E., Nguyen, C., Perri, F., Williams, T. J., Aiello, F. (2020). A Walk in Nature. Sesquiterpene Lactones as Multi-Target Agents Involved in Inflammatory Pathways. Curr. Med. Chem.. Vol. 27, pp. 1501-1514. DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180719111123.
• Cherepakhin, V., Williams, T. J. (2020). Catalyst Evolution in Ruthenium-Catalyzed Coupling of Amines and Alcohols.
• Smock, S. R., Tabastsbsei, K., Williams, T. J., Kauzlarich, S. M., Brutchey, R. L. (2020). Surface Coordination Chemistry of Germanium Nanocrystals Synthesized by Microwave-Assisted Reduction. Nanoscale. Vol. 12, pp. 2764-2772. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR09233A.
• Cherepakhin, V., Williams, T. J. (2019). Catalyst Evolution in Ruthenium-Catalyzed Coupling of Amine and Alcohols. ACS Catal.. Vol. 10, pp. 56-65. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.9b03679.
• Demianets, I., Hunt, J. R., Dawlaty, J. M., Williams, T. J. (2019). Optical pKa Control in a Bifunctional Iridium Complex. Organometallics. Vol. 38, pp. 200-204. DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.8b00778.
• Smock, S. R., Williams, T. J., Brutchey, R. L. (2018). Quantifying the Thermodynamics of Ligand Binding to CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.. Vol. 57, pp. 11711-11715. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201806.
• Lu, Z., Cherepakhin, V., Demianets, I., Lauridsen, P. J., Williams, T. J. (2018). Iridium-Based Hydride Transfer Catalysts: from Hydrogen Storage to Fine Chemicals. Chem. Commun.. Vol. 54, pp. 7711-7724. DOI: 10.1039/C8CC03412E.
• Lo, J., Nutt, S. R., Williams, T. J. (2018). Recycling Benzoxazine-Epoxy Composites via Catalytic Oxidation. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng.. Vol. 6, pp. 7227–7231. DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b01790.
• Cherepakhin, V., Williams, T. J. (2018). An Iridium Catalyst for Acceptorless Dehydrogenation of Alcohols to Carboxylic Acids. ACS Catal.. Vol. 8, pp. asap. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b00105.
• Navarro, C. A., Kedzie, E. A., Ma, Y., Michael, K. H., Nutt, S. R., Williams, T. J. (2018). Mechanism and Catalysis of Oxidative Degradation of Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites. Top. Catal.. Vol. 61, pp. 704-709. DOI: 10.1007/s1124-018-0917-2.
• Zhang, X., Kam, L., Trerise, R., Williams, T. J. (2017). Ruthenium-Catalyzed Ammonia Borane Dehydrogenation: Mechanism and Utility. Acc. Chem. Res.. pp. 86-95. DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.6b00482.
• Celaje, J. J., Zhang, X., Zhang, F., Kam, L., Herron, J. R., Williams, T. J. (2017). A Base and Solvent-Free Ruthenium-Catalyzed Alkylation of Amines. ACS Catal.. Vol. 7, pp. 1136-1142. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.6b03088.
• Lu, Z., Williams, T. J. (2016). Di(carbene)-Supported Nickel Systems for CO2 Reduction Under Ambient Conditions. ACS Catal.. Vol. 6, pp. 6670-6673. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.6b02101.
• Celaje, J. J., Lu, Z., Kedzie, E. A., Terrile, N. J., Lo, J. N., Williams, T. J. (2016). A Prolific Catalyst for Dehydrogenation of Neat Formic Acid. Nature Commun.. Vol. 7, pp. 11308. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11308.
• Lu, Z., Demianets, I., Hamze, R., Terrile, N. J., Williams, T. J. (2016). A Prolific Catalyst for Selective Conversion of Neat Glycerol to Lactic Acid. ACS Catal.. Vol. 6, pp. 2014-2017. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.5b02732.
• Lu, Z., Conley, B. L., Williams, T. J. (2012). [Cover] A Three-Stage Mechanistic Model for Ammonia–Borane Dehydrogenation by Shvo’s Catalyst. Organometallics. Vol. 31, pp. 6705–6714. DOI: 10.1021/om300562d.
• Conley, B. L., Guess, D., Williams, T. J. (2011). A Robust, Air-Stable, Reusable Ruthenium Catalyst for Dehydro-genation of Ammonia Borane. J. Am. Chem. Soc.. Vol. 133, pp. 14212-14215. DOI: 10.1021/ja909858a.
• Conley, B. L., Williams, T. J. (2010). Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane by Shvo’s Catalyst. Chem. Commun.. (46), pp. 4815-4817. DOI: 10.1039/C003157G.
• Conley, B. L., Williams, T. J. (2010). Thermochemistry and Molecular Structure of a Remarkable Agostic Interaction in a Heterobifunctional Ruthenium-Boron Complex. J. Am. Chem. Soc.. Vol. 132 (6), pp. 1764-1765. DOI: 10.1021/ja909858a.
• Conley, B. L., Pennington-Boggio, M. K., Boz, E., Williams, T. J. (2010). Discovery, Applications, and Catalytic Mechanisms of Shvo’s Catalyst. Chem. Rev.. Vol. 110 (4), pp. 2294-2312. DOI: 10.1021/cr9003133.

Proceedings

• Navarro, C. A., Ma, Y., Michael, K., Breunig, H., Nutt, S. R., Williams, T. (2023). Aerobic Depolymerization of Amine-Epoxy Thermoset Composites. pp. DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.23.0185. Proc. SAMPE.
• Lim, Y. J., Navarro, C. A., Nutt, S. R., Williams, T. (2023). Selective Cleavage of Amine-Linked Epoxy Composite Matrices by Oxygen. pp. DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.23.0206. Proc. SAMPE.

• United States Patent, No. 9079768. Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane by Shvo’s Catalyst, 02/08/2012 –
• United States Patent, No. 9079768. Dehydrogenation of Ammonia-Borane by Bifunctional Catalysts, 07/14/2015 –
• United States Patent, No. 9273184. Synthesis of Highly Fluorinated Amines for Use in Polymers and Biomaterials, 03/01/2016 –
• United States Patent, No. 9403753. Dual Site Catalyst for Mild, Selective Nitrile Reduction, 08/02/2016 –
• United States Patent, No. 9273184. Synthesis of Highly Fluorinated Amines for use in Polymers and Biomaterials, 03/01/2016 –
• United States Patent, No. 10556921, PCT/US2015/054483. Dehydrogenation of Neat Formic Acid, 01/14/2019 –
• United States Patent, No. 11926710. Aerobic Depolymerization of Fiber-Reinforced Composites, 12/17/2018 –
• United States Patent, No. 10654785. Upgrading Biodiesel from Vegetable Oils: Hydrogen Transfer from Glycerol to its Fatty Esters, 11/16/2018 –
• United States Patent, No. 10202327. Highly Robust, Efficient Catalyst for Selective Dehydrogenation of Neat Glycerol to Lactic Acid, 12/02/2019 –
• United States Patent, No. 10654879. Nickel-Based Catalysts for C=O Reduction and Oxygen Evolution , 05/19/2020 –

• Elbert K. Fretwell Outstanding Educator Award, 05/23/2022 –
• Breakthrough Energy Ventures Climate Change Prize, 01/31/2020 –
• NIH/NSF Career Development Award, NSF BRITE Award, 01/01/2023 – 12/31/2025
• 2022 DOE Hydrogen Technologies Award, 2022-2023
• USC Stevens FY20 Technology Commercialization Award, 2019-2020
• USC Wrigley Sustainability Prize: Plastics Evolution, Spring 2020
• USC Wrigley Sustainability Prize: Closed Composites, Spring 2019
• 2018 Thieme Chemistry Journals Award, 2017-2018
• USC Wrigley Sustainability Prize: Catapower, Spring 2018
• USC Center for Excellence in Teaching, Faculty Fellow, 08/15/2014 – 05/15/2017
• USC Stevens FY16 Commercialization Award, 05/03/2017
• NIH/NSF Career Development Award, NSF CAREER Award, 04/01/2011 – 06/30/2016
• NIH/NSF Career Development Award, NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, 07/2005 – 07/2007
• Stanford Centennial Teaching Award, 2003-2004
• California Institute of Technology ASCIT Teaching Award, 1997-1998