Professional Title
Chemistry and Materials Science Program Leader - Materials and Bioeconomy
Barry earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Iowa followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He went on to take a Visiting Assistant Professor position at St. Mary's University (Nova Scotia, Canada) followed by an Assistant Professor of Chemistry position at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
His previous research experiences include a) solid-state synthetic routes to metastable polyphosphides (bulk and nano regimes) intended for electrode materials in next generation batteries, b) molecular catalyst design and preparation for small molecule activation, namely CO2, and c) preparation of metal-free, electron-rich organic reductants.
Current work on materials development:
- biodegradable, slow-release fertilizer coatings
- biochar production, characterization, agglomeration and inoculation for use as a soil amendment
- production of bio-based reductants from regionally relevant biomass resources
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Sandia National Laboratories 2010-2013
- Ph.D., Inorganic Chemistry, University of Iowa, 2004-2009
- B.S., Chemistry, University of Northern Iowa, 2000-2004
