04/22/2026
Ive Hermans has joined the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering as the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Chemical Transformations. Hermans develops catalytic methods that make chemical manufacturing cleaner and more sustainable. His work focuses on improving the efficiency of chemical transformations for applications spanning industrial manufacturing, environmental remediation, and renewable energy production.
“The products of the chemical industry play a very important role in defining our current standard of living,” says Hermans, who has joined Johns Hopkins University as the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Chemical Transformations. “We need plastics to sustain that standard. The questions we need to be asking are, ‘How can we acquire the materials we need with minimal impact on the environment?’ and ‘How can we handle the waste in a responsible way? Can it be repurposed, put back into the value chain instead of wasting it?’ We should be prepared, as a society, to sustain the standard of living that we want, at a price that people can afford, while reducing the burden on the environment.”
Hermans’ work centers on finding more sustainable methods to transform building-block chemicals and chemicals that store and transport energy through catalytic processes. Catalysts are substances that accelerate a chemical reaction without being consumed or permanently altered in the process. They lower the amount of energy that is required for the reaction and help avoid side reactions that lead to waste. Catalysts are vital for industrial efficiency, enabling faster, lower-temperature reactions to produce products such as fuels, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Over 90% of all chemicals are synthesized using at least one catalyst.
Hermans studies how the physical structure of a catalyst—including shape, composition, and surface features—determines its function. To do this, he uses a comprehensive approach that combines materials synthesis, detailed characterization, spectroscopic techniques, computational methods, and kinetics and reaction engineering, which studies the rates of chemical reactions.
Hermans’ investigations have been essential in deepening our understanding of how catalyst structure and reaction conditions influence selectivity, leading to more precise control over chemical outcomes. Improving the selectivity of a chemical reaction increases the amount of desired product and reduces unwanted byproducts.
Hermans has pioneered breakthrough catalytic systems with remarkable selectivity and efficiency, some of which have been translated into commercial applications. A recent example of such translational work is the replacement of tin—which has adverse health effects—with bismuth, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol, in the catalytic system used to make polyesters. Polyesters are used not only for clothing, but also coatings to make surfaces more corrosion- and abrasion-resistant.
To Hermans, close connections between laboratories and industry are crucial. He believes that the feedback loop between fundamental research and use-inspired research helps identify problems as well as opportunities, and enables the development of solutions that can be translated into real-world applications.
“Ultimately, the goal is to transmute knowledge into a benefit for society,” Hermans says. “The biggest kick you can get out of research is realizing that you’re one of very few people on the planet that understand how something works. And once you understand something new, that’s when the engineering side of things comes in. What are we going to do with this information? How can we use these insights to better society?”
Hermans, who comes to Johns Hopkins from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, believes that the move will strengthen the translational aspects of his work, both through existing institutional knowledge surrounding how to turn research into impact as well as through the university’s footprint in Washington, D.C.
“We can’t solve big problems with just science alone,” says Hermans. “Policymakers play an incredibly important role in enabling the boundary conditions that will allow scientific advancements to address real challenges. It is crucial to bring scientists together with all other stakeholders and find meaningful ways to collaborate.”
At Johns Hopkins, Hermans will be part of the Sustainable Transformations and Energy BDP cluster. The collaborative environment offers an ideal setting for Hermans to expand his research while working alongside experts in complementary fields such as materials science, environmental engineering, and policy development.
“One thing that’s so exciting about this cluster framework is to have so many experts working in a team to look at a problem from different angles,” Hermans says. “This allows us to offer a holistic approach, to anticipate and counteract potential negative ripple effects of proposed changes and come up with better solutions.”
In addition to his research contributions, Hermans is committed to mentorship and education, and to helping students develop the critical thinking skills and technical expertise needed to tackle complex scientific challenges.
“Students are certainly the most important product of a university,” Hermans says. “You teach them how to think independently, analyze incredibly complex, multidimensional problems and detangle them into smaller, more manageable problems, solve them, and then put it all back together in order to make an important contribution in academia, industry, or startups. What I’m most proud of is when I see students that have graduated from my group build their careers, set their own agendas, and decide the direction they want to go in.”
Ed Schlesinger, dean of the Whiting School of Engineering, says: “Ive Hermans is addressing some of the most urgent challenges in energy, manufacturing, and waste management. His appointment is going to spur new interdisciplinary efforts to develop cleaner, scalable technologies that move materials and energy systems toward a truly sustainable future.”
Christopher Celenza, dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, adds” “Ive Hermans is transforming the way we approach chemical manufacturing, developing catalytic methods that balance industrial efficiency with environmental responsibility. Equally important is his commitment to mentorship and to cultivating the next generation of scientific leaders. His arrival strengthens not only Johns Hopkins University’s research enterprise but our intellectual community as a whole.”
