Rate My Professor Magda Barecka

Barecka's research centers on electrochemical methods for transforming carbon dioxide into valuable chemical building blocks to enable a carbon-neutral economy. Through the Barecka Lab, she employs electrochemical techniques, analytical chemistry, surface characterization, and in-house modeling to understand CO2 electrolysis pathways, design efficient reactors, and conduct techno-economic analyses for scalability. Her group addresses challenges in using dilute CO2 from air for large-scale production of chemicals for healthcare, hygiene, materials, and clothing. Key publications include 'CO2 electroreduction favors carbon isotope 12C over 13C and facilitates isotope separation' (iScience, 2023), 'Techno-economic assessment of emerging CO2 electrolysis technologies' (STAR Protocols, 2021), 'CO2 on-site recycling: retrofit technology for carbon neutral manufacturing' (iScience, 2021), 'Economically viable CO2 electroreduction embedded within ethylene oxide manufacturing' (Energy & Environmental Science, 2021), and 'A novel approach for process retrofitting through process intensification: ethylene oxide case study' (Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 2017). She received the 2026 Faculty Research Team Award and was selected as an inaugural advisory board member for Chem Circularity journal. As principal investigator, she leads a $986,200 U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E GREENWELLS project titled 'Modular Electrochemical Ethanol Production Using Intermittent Power' (2024), and serves as co-principal investigator on a $500,000 ARPA-E CREATE project 'Accelerating Electrocatalyst Innovation: High-Throughput Automated Microkinetic, Multiscale, and Techno-economic Modeling' with colleagues Richard West and Qing Zhao.