Dr. Nicholas E. Thornburg Ph.D.
Research Engineer III - Reaction Engineering, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dr. Nicholas (Nick) Thornburg is a chemical reaction engineer in the Fuels and Combustion Science group within the Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences (CIMS) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Nick originally joined NREL's National Bioenergy Center (NBC) as a postdoctoral researcher in 2017, where he studied particle-scale reaction engineering and multiphase chemical reactor design and optimization for biomass deconstruction. Nick's current research interests lie in multiphase reaction engineering for onboard fuel reforming and emissions management applications for the renewable synthesis of small-molecule chemicals and fuels. Nick has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a Doctorate in Chemical ENgineering from Northwestern University. His doctoral research focused on understanding heterogeneous transition metal oxide catalysts for applications in sustainable chemical manufacturing.