Robert L. McCormick

HENRY H. STORCH AWARD IN ENERGY CHEMISTRY: ROBERT L. MCCORMICK

Robert L. McCormick

Sponsor: Henry H. Storch Endowment

Citation: For internationally recognized leadership and innovation in research on alternative and low-carbon fuels, and the chemistry of fuel-engine interactions

Current position: Senior research fellow, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Education: BS, chemical engineering, Oklahoma State University; MS, chemical engineering, Iowa State University; PhD, chemical engineering, University of Wyoming

McCormick on the global challenge he would like to help solve: “Meeting global energy needs while not destroying the climate is the most important problem in energy research. More than 25 years ago, I began to focus on biofuels as a part of the solution for transportation. Climate change is impacting everyone, but the marginalized in our society and poor people all over the world are bearing the brunt of it. It is important to me to help make life easier for those less fortunate than I have been.”

What McCormick’s colleagues say: “The benefits to society of Robert’s work are very clear. He has directly contributed to the quality of biodiesel and the growth of the biodiesel market to in excess of 3 billion gallons. He has advanced the adoption and standards for ethanol in gasoline. He has also shown that oxygenates including biomass-derived oxygenates can be drop-in fuels for existing vehicle systems.”—Andrew Herring, Colorado School of Mines