External links
| Authority control databases: Academics |
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Eric McFarland Ph.D. | |
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California - Berkeley Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Hydrocarbon conversion Gas to liquids Catalysis research Sustainable energy technology Nuclear energy advocacy |
| Awards | NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award (1990) ANS Special Award for Outstanding Advances in Nuclear Technology (1992) Dow Chemical Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Queensland (2013) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemical engineering Sustainable energy Nuclear engineering |
| Institutions | University of California - Santa Barbara University of Queensland |
| Doctoral advisors | Martin J. Kushmerick |
Eric McFarland (born October 13, 1971) is an American professor, chemical and nuclear engineer, and physician. He is known for his work in the field of sustainable energy, in particular his research on hydrogen production [1] and his role at sustainable energy startups. [2] [3] [4]
McFarland received a BSc in mechanical and nuclear engineering in 1980 and an MS in nuclear engineering in 1982 from UC Berkeley. He received a PhD in nuclear engineering from MIT in 1987, and an MD from Harvard University in 1988. [5] His thesis at MIT was titled "Nuclear spin transfer studies of chemical reactions in living systems." [6]
After completing his PhD, McFarland joined the nuclear engineering faculty at MIT, where he was awarded a three year Edgerton assistant professorship and researched the use of nuclear phenomena for non-destructive materials and chemical analysis. [4] In 1991, he moved to UC Berkeley, where his research has focused on topics such as the study of catalytic and molecular reactions on complex surfaces. [3] [4] [7]
In 2013, McFarland was appointed as the chair and inaugural director of the Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering at the University of Queensland. [8]
In 1996, McFarland took a two year leave of absence to found Symyx Technologies, a company which provided software, tools, and techniques for combinatorial chemistry to the private sector. In 2016, part of the company merged with Dassault Systems. [9] [10] In 1999, McFarland founded Gas Reaction Technologies, a company which partnered with oil and gas companies to convert gas into liquid fuels. [4] [11] He went on to co-found C-Zero in 2007, a company which developed a technology for producing hydrogen by means of decarbonizing natural gas. [12]
In 2025, NewHydrogen, a company developing a technology to produce hydrogen using heat rather than electricity, announced that McFarland would serve as their CTO. [13] [14]
McFarland also practiced medicine part time, receiving training in general surgery and working in emergency medicine until 2005. Since then he has practiced medicine on a voluntary basis. [3]
McFarland is a proponent of nuclear technology, and has publicly advocated improving of nuclear regulatory framework. [15]
| Authority control databases: Academics |
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