VITA G. K. Surya Prakash (October 2018) PERSONAL DATA Born: October 7, 1953, Bangalore, India Citizenship: USA (Naturalized) Married: 1981, Rama Devi Children: Archana, daughter (b. 1985), Arjun, son (b. 1991). Address: Home: 3412 Casco Court, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745, U. S. A Office: Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University of Southern California, 837 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, CA 90089- 1661, U.S.A. Telephone: (H) 626-333-734; (O) 213-740-5984; Fax: 213-740-6679 Email: [email protected] Web Address: http://chem.usc.edu/faculty/Prakash.html EDUCATION B. Sc (Honors) Chemistry, Bangalore University, India, 1972 M.Sc., Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, India, 1974 Ph. D., Chemistry, University of Southern California (Under Nobel Laureate, Professor George A. Olah), 1978 (Ph.D. work was carried out at Case Western Reserve University, 1974-1977) Postdoctoral, 1978-1979, University of Southern California (Nobel Laureate, Professor George A. Olah) ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE and POSITIONS Chairman, Department of Chemsitry, University of Southern California, 2017-present. Director, Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University of Southern California, Sept. 2010- present. Scientific Director, Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University of Southern California, Feb. 2000- August 2010. George A. & Judith A. Olah Nobel Laureate Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry, University of Southern California, Jan. 1997 – present. Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Sept.1994 – present. Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Sept. 1990- Aug.1994, Tenured in 1993. Research Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Sept. 1984-Aug.1990. Research Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Sept. 1981 – Aug. 1984. Junior Fellow, Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University of Southern California, March 1979- Aug.1981. 1 RESEARCH INTERESTS Organic, Physical-Organic, Materials, Hydrocarbon Chemistry and Energy Synthetic Organic and Fluoroorganic Chemistry: New reducing agents based on low valent transition metal halides; Synthetic transformations based on oxidizing agents such as higher valency tungsten and molybdenum halides, hydrogen peroxide (and their equivalents), bromine and bromodimethylsulfonium bromide; New reactions using silicon reagents; Electrophilic and nucleophilic fluorination and fluoroalkylation methods; Selective functionalizations and Superacid induced catalysis and reactions; Multi-step synthesis of carbocation precursors; Photochemical synthesis; Sonochemistry; Nitration methods; Reactions and synthesis of energetic compounds and oxidizers; Electrochemical synthesis. Physical Organic Chemistry: Synthesis and characterization of novel electrophiles, i.e., classical and nonclassical carbocations, carbodications, halonium ions, oxonium ions, thioacylium ions, selenonium ions and nitrenium ions in low nucleophilicity highly superacidic solvent systems using low temperature multi- nuclear NMR spectroscopy; Study of degenerate rearrangement of carbocations by dynamic NMR; Studies on superelectrophilic reactive intermediates; Application of ab initio and DFT theoretical methods; Chemical shift calculations; Structural characterization of carbanions; Carborane structures. Natural Product Chemistry: Steroids and steroidal intermediates; Synthesis of natural product intermediates. Polymer and Organometallic Chemistry: Studies on polymerization of a-olefins to polyolefins and the Hall and Nash synthesis of aluminum sesquihalides by 13C and 27Al NMR spectroscopy; Development of new polymers with unusual monomers; Polyketene synthesis; New polymerization methods for nano-scale materials, Polymer electrolytes Hydrocarbon and Energy Related Chemistry: Elucidation of the mechanism of methanol oligocondensation mediated by acidic catalysts; Hydrocarbon isomerizations using superacids; Hydrocarbon functionalizations; Development of hydrocarbon and methanol based direct oxidation fuel cells; Fuel cell membranes and Battery materials; Energetic materials and fuels. Also working on many aspects of the “Methanol Economy”. Conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels and products: Carbon Neutral Energy Cycles. PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES American Chemical Society Electrochemical Society Inc. American Association of Advancement of Science American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities European Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences, India. 2 RECOGNITIONS AND HONORS Research Excellence Award by the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University of Southern California, 1984. Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Award for Research and Scholarship, University of Southern California, 1986. JPL/TAP Group Achievement Award for Direct Oxidation Methanol Fuel Cells, November 1994. Visiting Researcher, National Institute for Resources and Environment (MITI), Japan, January 1996. First Holder of the George A. & Judith A. Olah Nobel Laureate Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry, 1997- present. Visiting Professor, University of Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 6, France, April -May 1998. JPL/TAP Group Achievement Award for Low Crossover Membranes for Methanol Fuel Cells, December 1998. USC Associates Award for Creativity in Research and Scholarship, University of Southern California, 2000. Corresponding Member, European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, 2004. American Chemical Society National Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry, 2004. Elected Member, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 2004. NASA Space Act Board Award, New Fuels for Direct Oxidation Fuel Cells, 2004. Elected Fellow of the American Association of Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2005. American Chemical Society George A. Olah National Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry. 2006. Annual George A. Olah Lecturer, University of Southern California, 2006. Tolman Award, Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society, 2006. Distinguished Alumni Award, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, 2007. “Professor K. Venkataraman Lecturer”, 2008-2009, University Department of Chemical Technology, University of Mubai, India. CRSI Medal, Chemical Research Society of India, 2010. Bürgenstock Lecturer, 2010. Albert S. Raubenheimer Senior Faculty Award, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, 2011. Mellon Mentoring Award, University of Southern California, 2012. Elected Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC), 2012. Cited in Marquis Who's Who in America. Elected Foreign Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, 2013. Inaugural Eric and Sheila Samson Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation in Alternative Fuels for Transportation, Israel (shared with late G. A. Olah), 2013. Elected Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS Fellow), 2014. 3 ASEI Scientist of the Year, Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, American Association of Engineers of Indian Origin, 2014. Henri Moissan International Prize for Excellence in Fluorine Chemistry, 2015. 19th Charles Reed Endowed Lecturer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2016. American Chemical Society Arthur C. Cope Late Career Scholar Award, 2018. EDITORSHIPS AND EDITORIAL BOARDS Guest Editor, Research on Chemical Intermediates, Issues 7, 8 and 9, 1996. Advisory Editor, International Journal of Porphyrins and Pthalocyanines (WILEY), 1997-2000. Member of the Editorial Board, Indian Journal of Chemistry, Section B, 1999 –2002. Member of the Editorial Board, The Journal of Organic Chemistry, ACS, 2001-2003. Member of the Editorial Board, The Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, American Scientific Publishers, 2001- present. Member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, Elsevier, 2004- present. Member of the Editorial Board, CLEAN-Soil, Air, Water, Wiley-VCH, 2006- current. Co-Editor, Special Issue of the Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, in honor of Dennis P. Curran, Vol.129, Issue 10, October 2008. Member of the International Advisory Editorial Board, Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, 2012-present. Advisory Editor, Journal of CO2 Utilization, Elsevier, 2013- present. Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Postdoctoral Research, 2013- present. Guest Editor, Israel Journal of Chemistry, 2014. Member of the Editorial Board, Catalysis Letters, Springer, 2017- Present. Member of the Editorial Board, Topics in Catalysis, Springer, 2017- present. Guest Editor, Topics in Catalysis, Volume 61, Issues 7 and 8, 2018. SIGNIFICANT PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND ACTIVITIES SYNCON organizer, University of Southern California, 1991 Co-Chair, 25th Silicon Symposium, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 1992. Organizer, Endowed George A. Olah Annual Lecture Series, University of Southern California, 1995- present. Organizer, Kibrough Symposia, Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University of Southern California, 1992- present. Organizer, Endowed Annual Carl M. Franklin Memorial Lecture, University of Southern California, 2004- present. Organized Fullerene Extraction and Purification Symposium, 185th Electrochemical Society Meeting, San Francisco, 1994. Organized Synthetic Methods Symposium, Division of Organic Chemistry, 1999 Pacific Conference on Chemistry and Spectroscopy, Ontario, CA, 1999. 4 Organizer, Trifluoromethyl Transfer Agents Symposium, Division of Fluorine Chemistry, 219th American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco,