Eric Gaigneaux

Since 2000, Eric M. Gaigneaux (EMG) is principal investigator in the group of inorganic heterogeneous catalysis (formerly the Unité de catalyse et chimie des matériaux divisés) of the Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences at the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium). Have a quick overview on the current research axis of EMG.

Born in 1971, he graduated in 1993 as master in bioengineering, then obtained in 1997 his PhD in heterogeneous catalysis under the supervision of professor B. Delmon.

He was fellow of the National Foundation for Scientific Research (FNRS) of Belgium from 1993 until 2004, mainly affiliated in UCLouvain, then, after research and post-doctoral stays in UK (ICI-Katalco, 1995), USA (University of Notre-Dame, professor E.E. Wolf, 1995), Germany (Fritz Haber Institüt der Max Planck Gesellschaft, Berlin, professor R. Schlögl, 1998) and Japan (University of Tokyo, professor Y. Iwasawa, 1998-1999), obtained an academic position in Louvain (2004), teaching spectroscopy, catalysis and chemistry of solids. Since 2014, EMG is Guest Professor at the Escuela Politecnica Nacional (Quito, Ecuador).

EMG is executive chairman of the international symposia series “Scientific bases on the preparation of heterogeneous catalysis”, and member of the scientific board of the symposia series “Operando spectroscopies”, "International Congress on Environmental Catalysis", and "World Congress on Oxidation Catalysis". He is also member of the international scientific board of Applied Catalysis B.

EMG was laureate of the ExxonMobil Chemical European Science & Engineering Award in 2003. He got in 2013 the Triannual Award from Belgian Royal Chemical Society. EMG represents Belgium in the EFCATS board.

EMG’s main current scientific interests are the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts with a control of their morphology at the atomic and nanoscopic scales, their physico-chemical characterization under the operational in situ/operando conditions, and their applications in the biosources chemistry, abatement of air and water pollutants, transformation of light hydrocarbons and alcohols to more valuable molecules via selective oxidation, ammoxidation, dehydration and oxidative dehydrogenation, and fine chemistry with a particular interest for C-C coupling and Friedel-Crafts reactions.

RESEARCH INDICATORS (as of Feb 13th 2019)

Scientific publications: 230, oral communications: > 80, poster presentations: > 150, patents: 4, scientific editor of 6 books, h-index = 38 and number of citations = 5200 (as told by ‘Google Scholar’, on Feb 12^th, 2019), Research subventions and fundings: 44.

(Co-)Supervisor of : 19 doctoral theses + 6 ongoing, 16 post-doctoral researchers + 3 ongoing, 36 engineer master thesis + 4 ongoing, 31 laboratory technician diploma works + 0 ongoing.

CURRENT POSITIONS

2014 – 2009:  Full Professor (Professeur ordinaire) at UCL

2014 – 2009:  Guest Professor at the Escuela Politecnica Nacional (Quito, Ecuador)

PREVIOUS (SIGNIFICANT) POSITIONS

2018 – 2022:  Member of the faculty dean’s office as programme advisor for the students in Bio-engineering faculty (UCL)

2009 – 2015: Vice-president of the Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanotechnologies in charge of the technological affairs and platforms (UCL)

2009 – 2014: Professor (Professeur) at UCL

2006 – 2010: Vice-president of the Department for Applied and Biological Chemistry (UCL)

2003 – 2010: Head, laboratory of Catalysis and Divided Materials Chemistry (UCL)

2004 – 2009: Full Time Associate Professor (Chargé de cours) at UCL

2001 – 2004: Associate Professor (Chargé de cours) (temporary, part-time) at UCL

2000 – 2004: Research Associate (Chercheur qualifié) of the FNRS at UCL

1998 – 2000 : Post-doctoral researcher of the FNRS (Chargé de recherches) at UCL and at University of Tokyo (Japan, 1998-1999)

1994 – 1998 : PhD student of the FNRS (Aspirant) at UCL and at Fritz Haber Institute (Berlin, Germany, 1998)

1993 – 1994 : PhD student of the UCL (Aspirant FDS)

OTHER PAST & CURRENT MEMBERSHIPS AND INVOLVEMENTS

2017 –          : Member of the scientific board of the World Congress on Oxidation Catalysis

2016 –          : Member of the Jury PE4 - Chimie analytique, chimie théorique, physico-chimie/chimie physique (PE4-1-1) - FRIA (Belgium)

2015 –          : Member in the international board of the European Federation of CATalysis Societies (EFCATS) as Belgian delegate

2014 – 2018 : Member of the Commission scientifique Sciences Exactes et Naturelles-1 (SEN-1) - FNRS-FRS (Belgium)

2014 –          : Member of the editorial board of Catalysis, Structure and Reactivity

2012 –          : Member of the editorial board of Applied Catalysis B

2010 –          : Member of the scientific board of the International Congress on Environmental Catalysis

2009 –           : Expert and Member of Selection Committee – Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (ANR, France) / section CD2I

2008 – end    : Scientific Committee of the European Multifunctional Materials Institute

2008 – 2013 : Scientific Committee of the EcoTechnoPole-Wallonie (Liège, Belgium)

2007 – 2010 : Management Committee of the European COST Action D41

2006 – 2010 : Management Committee of the European COST Action D36

2005 – 2009 : Vice-chairman of "6^th World Congress on Oxidation Catalysis”

2003 – 2005 : Directors Board of the Certech (Seneffe, Belgium)

2004 – 2008 : Member of the editorial board of Applied Catalysis A

2002 – 2012 : International committee of "Operando Spectroscopy” symposia series

2001 – end   : Co-secretary of the Groupes de Contact en Catalyse of the FNRS

2000 – 2005 : Executive chairman of "International Symposium on Scientific Bases for the Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts" symposia series (Louvain-la-Neuve)

2003 – end   :  Environment Committee of the Catholic University of Louvain

2001 – 2003 : Organizing committee of the “PhD students days” (Louvain-la-Neuve)

2001 – 2004 : Chemistry Committee of the Société Royale Belge des Ingénieurs et des Industriels (SRBII)

1996 – 2001:  Founding-member of the “Young Chemists” division of the Société Royale de Chimie of Belgium