Principal Investigator
Kasun Gunasooriya
Dr. Kasun Gunasooriya is an assistant professor of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. Prior to OU, he was a postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Jens K. Nørskov at the Catalysis Theory Center at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). His research at DTU focused on developing novel catalytic materials for water electrolyzers and fuel cells in close experimental collaboration with Prof. Thomas Jaramillo at Stanford University and Prof. Ib Chorkendorff at DTU. He earned his B.Eng. and M.Eng in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and carried out his Ph.D. research with Prof. Mark Saeys and Prof. Guy Marin at the Laboratory for Chemical Technology (LCT) at the Ghent University, where he investigated the catalyst structure and reaction mechanism of the cobalt catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis.
By bridging his expertise in computational catalysis, kinetic modeling, and data-science approaches, his long-term goal is to contribute toward understanding the structure-property relationships of advanced catalytic materials to accelerate materials discovery and establish catalyst design principles for sustainable energy applications. Some of his recent achievements include the 1st prize in the European Federation of Catalysis Societies (EFCATS) Young Generation Catalysis Challenge and an invitation to give a TEDx talk entitled ‘hacking the carbon cycle using computers’.
Graduate students
S. A. KEISHANA NAVODYE
Ph.D. Student (joined the Gunasooriya Lab, Spring 2023)
B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, 2021
Keishana is interested in developing theoretical concepts to understand the electrochemical stability of catalytic materials and accelerating material discovery for sustainable energy conversion devices using data science approaches. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, watching action movies and cricket, and loves cooking.
Arnold D. SisoN
M.Sc. Student (joined the Gunasooriya Lab, Fall 2023)
B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, USA, 2023
Arnold is passionate about kinetics and reaction engineering. He works on microkinetic modeling for thermal and electrochemical reactions to establish catalyst design principles. In his spare time, Arnold enjoys playing the trombone, watching basketball, and loves all sorts of food.
Abasi-ofon Tom
Ph.D. Student (joined the Gunasooriya Lab, Spring 2024)
B.Eng. Chemical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, 2021
Tom is interested in the design of catalysts for sustainable energy production using computational, ML, and techno-economic approaches. In the Gunasooriya Lab, he is working on next-generation catalyst design for Carbon chemistry. In his free time, Tom enjoys playing racing games.
Michael Quaynor
M.Sc. Data Science and Analytics, (joined the Gunasooriya Lab, Spring 2024)
B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, USA, 2023
Michael is interested in implementing machine learning approaches to create models that predict improved catalytic materials and contribute to advancements in the field of chemical engineering. In his free time, Michael enjoys watching Smithsonian documentaries and soccer games, with Arsenal being his favorite team.
Undergraduate students
marta V. guseva
Undergraduate Researcher (joined the Gunasooriya Lab, Fall 2023)
B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Expected-2026
Marta is dedicated to living a substantial lifestyle and wishes to leverage her knowledge to develop innovative solutions that promote environmental conservation and the overall sustainability of our society. She enjoys yoga, cooking, playing chess with friends, and thrifting.
RUBY D. HALL
Undergraduate Researcher (joined the Gunasooriya Lab, Fall 2023)
B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Expected-2026
Ruby is interested in expanding her knowledge of chemical kinetics and gaining a deeper understanding of how a chemical engineering degree can be used to impact the advancement toward a more sustainable future. In her free time, Ruby likes to read, play the piano, and play card games with friends and family.
SARAH C. KELBAUGH
Undergraduate Researcher (joined the Gunasooriya Lab, Fall 2023)
B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Expected-2026
Minor in Business
Sarah is from Austin, Texas. She is currently pursuing a Chemical Engineering degree with a minor in business at the University of Oklahoma. She grew up with an interest in engineering, and as she continues her major, she finds an interest in sustainability. In her free time, Sarah likes to paint, cook, and bake.
