Maria Kelly
- Maria Kelly
- CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
Research Bio
Maria completed her PhD with the Electrobuffs in 2025. Her research characterized CO2 electroreduction micro-environments using rotating ring disk electrode techniques and in-situ and operando atomic force microscopy. Since graduating, she has started as a Jill Hruby Postdoctoral Fellow at Sandia National Laboratories, where she investigates corrosion processes in lithium-ion batteries.
Outside of research, Maria enjoys reading fantasy novels, swing dancing, and spending time with her two dogs, Mia and Lola!
Education
- Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 2025
- M.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 2021
- B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of New Mexico, 2018
Awards
- Society of Women Engineers Bertha Lamme Memorial Scholarship, 2024
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory Outstanding Mentor Award, 2023
- David T. Spalding Graduate Teaching Fund Fellowship, 2022
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2020
- Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society Fellowship, 2020
Selected Publications
- Maria Kelly, Rachel A Wnuk, Recep Kas, Glenn Teeter, Melissa E Kreider, Wilson A Smith, "Editors’ Choice—Rapid Deactivation Convolutes Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Selectivity Measurements on Gold Rotating Ring Disk Electrodes", J. Electrochem. Soc., 172, 4, 2025, 046503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/adc553.
- Sara T Hamilton, Maria Kelly, Wilson A Smith, Ah-Hyung Alissa Park, “Electrolyte–Electrocatalyst Interfacial Effects of Polymeric Materials for Tandem CO2 Capture and Conversion Elucidated Using In Situ Electrochemical AFM”, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 16, 32, 2024, 42021-42033. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c01908.
- Mark Sassenburg, Maria Kelly, Siddhartha Subramanian, Wilson A Smith, Thomas Burdyny, "Zero-Gap Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Cells: Challenges and Operational Strategies for Prevention of Salt Precipitation", ACS Ener. Lett., 8, 1, 2022, 321-331. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c01885.