Steven Pellizzeri
Introduction Education & Training Conference Presentations Publications Frequently Taught Courses Research & Creative Interests Professional Affiliations Update your profile

Steven Pellizzeri

Assistant Professor - Physical Chemistry Office: 4430 - Physical Sciences
Phone: 217-581-6237
Email: spellizzeri@eiu.edu
Website: http://pellizzerilab.github.io/

INTRODUCTION

Dr. Pellizzeri earned his BS in Polymer Chemistry with High Honors from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY in May 2007. During his time at RIT, Dr. Pellizzeri conducted research on the physical and electronic interactions between a straight-chain conjugated polymer and single-wall carbon nanotubes, probed by fluorescence spectroscopy with Dr. Christopher Collison. Additionally, while at RIT, Dr. Pellizzeri was the recipient of the Pasto Undergraduate Co-Op Fellowship, the Undergraduate Polymer Chemistry Award, the RIT Presidential Scholarship, a Summer Undergraduate Research Grant, and a Distinguished Research Scholar award.

Dr. Pellizzeri earned his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 2013 under the direction of Dr. Jon A. Zubieta. In his research, he developed computational models to investigate the terahertz spectra of organic, inorganic, and hybrid organometallic species using solid-state density functional theory (DFT). As a part of this project, he also worked with Dr. Timothy Korter and his research group, to conduct the experimental Terahertz spectroscopy experiments.

Upon completion of his graduate work, Dr. Pellizzeri became a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Dr. Rachel Getman at Clemson University, in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Dr. Pellizzeri’s postdoctoral research was funded as part of a DOE Energy Frontier Reach Center (the ICDC) and involved investigating potential catalysts for shale gas conversions using computational catalysis screening tools and microkinetic modeling. This research project had many collaborators including the  University of Minnesota, Argonne National Laboratory, Dow, Northwestern University, NuMat, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, UC Davis, and the University of Washington. Throughout his time in Dr. Getman’s group, he advised nine undergraduate researchers on individual research projects and was a teaching assistant for a Multiscale Molecular Modeling class. While a postdoctoral fellow at Clemson University, Dr. Pellizzeri was highly involved in the Clemson University Postdoctoral Association and served as the Vice-President during the 2016-2017 academic year and as the President of the organization during the 2017-2018 academic year.

Following his postdoctoral studies, for the 2018-2019 academic year, Dr. Pellizzeri was a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Clemson University. In this position, he taught general chemistry lectures and labs. Concurrently, he was also working with the research group of Dr. Brian Dominy in the Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Pellizzeri joined the Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty at Eastern Illinois University in August 2019 as an assistant professor in physical chemistry.  

Education & Training

B.S. Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007

Ph.D. Syracuse University, 2013

Conference Presentations

Mechanistic insight into thermal decomposition of PFOA using computational nanoreactors.
Spring 2023 ACS National Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana 
Steven Pellizzeri and Elizabeth Serna-Sanchez, March 2023, oral presentation.

Reparametrizing a semiempirical tight-binding-based approach for the simulation of platinum clusters on
graphene.
Spring 2023 ACS National Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana 
Steven Pellizzeri, George D. Barton, and Ryan Wang, March 2023, oral presentation.

Noncentrosymmetric brackebuschite structure type from hydrothermal brines investigated with density functional theory.
69th Southeast regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Columbia, South Carolina
Steven Pellizzeri, Tiffany M. Smith Pellizzeri, Colin D. McMillen, Joseph W. Kolis, and Rachel B. Getman, November 2017, oral presentation (invited talk).

Computationally-driven design of cation-based catalysts supported in metal-organic frameworks for upgrading of light hydrocarbons.
254th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC
Steven Pellizzeri, Pere Miró, Varinia Bernales, Melissa Barona, Peilin Liao, Laura Gagliardi, Randall Q. Snurr, Rachel B. Getman, August 2017, oral presentation.

Publications

Predicting Pyrolysis Decomposition of PFOA using Computational Nanoreactors: A
Thermodynamic Study
E. Serna-Sanchez* (EIU Undergraduate) and S. Pellizzeri
RSC Adv., 2023,13, 25699-25703

Influence of spin state and electron configuration on the active site and mechanism for catalytic hydrogenation on metal cation catalysts supported on NU-1000: insights from experiments and microkinetic modeling
H. Shabbir, S. Pellizzeri, M. Ferrandon, I.S. Kim, N.A. Vermeulen, O.K. Farha, M. Delferro, A.B.F Martinson, R.B. Getman
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2020,10, 3594-3602

Cationic polymer for selective removal of GenX and short-chain PFAS from surface waters and wastewaters at ng/L levels
M. Ateia, M. Arifuzzaman, S. Pellizzeri, M.F. Attia, N. Tharayil, J.N. Anker, T. Karanfil
Water Res. 163 (2019) 114874

Phosphonic acid and alkyl phosphate-derivatized resins for the simultaneous concentration and detection of uranium in environmental waters
C.E. Duval, W.A. Hardy*, S. Pellizzeri, T.A. DeVol, S.M. Husson
React. Funct. Polym. 2019, 137, 133–139

Catalytic descriptors and electronic properties of single-site catalysts for ethene dimerization to 1-butene
S. Pellizzeri, M. Barona, V. Bernales, P. Miró, P. Liao, L. Gagliardi, R.Q. Snurr, R.B. Getman
Catal. Today 2018, 312, 149–157

Sinter‐Resistant Platinum Catalyst Supported by Metal–Organic Framework
I.S. Kim, Z. Li, J. Zheng, A.E. Platero‐Prats, A. Mavrandonakis, S. Pellizzeri, M. Ferrandon, A. Vjunov, L.C. Gallington, T.E. Webber, N.A. Vermeulen, R.L. Penn, R.B. Getman, C.J. Cramer, K.W. Chapman, D.M. Camaioni, J.L. Fulton, J.A. Lercher, O.K. Farha, J.T. Hupp, A.B.F. Martinson
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 909-913.

Using Gas-Phase Clusters to Screen Porphyrin-Supported Nanocluster Catalysts for Ethane Oxidation to Ethanol
S. Pellizzeri, I.A. Jones*, H.A. Doan, R.Q. Snurr, R.B. Getman
Catal. Lett. 2016, 146, 2566–2573

Using Terahertz Spectroscopy and Solid-State Density Functional Theory to Characterize a New Polymorph of 5-(4-pyridyl)tetrazole
S. Pellizzeri, S.P. Delaney, T.M. Korter, J. Zubieta
J. Phys. Chem. A. 2014, 118, 417–426.

Spectroscopic Evidence for Interaction of Poly[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] Conformers and Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Solvent Dispersions
C.J. Collison, S. Pellizzeri, F. Ambrosio
J. Phys. Chem. B. 2009, 113, 5809–5815

Full list: Google Scholar

Frequently Taught Courses

CHM 3910, Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics

CHM 3915, Physical Chemistry Laboratory

CHM 3920, Quantum Chemistry

CHM 5210, Bonding and Reactivity

CHM 1410, General Chemistry II

CHM 1415, General Chemistry II Lab

Research & Creative Interests

The Pellizzeri Group is actively recruiting undergraduate and graduate students. Please contact Dr. Pellizzeri for more information.

The Pellizzeri Group uses the technique of computational chemistry, which uses the fundamental equations of physical chemistry and your chemical intuition to predict, explain, and model chemical processes on a computer, to answer research questions involving the research areas below. These projects can be tailored to the student's research interests and can range from application-based to model development or even coding.

Research areas:

  • Computational discovery of materials for catalytic reactions
  • Predicting reaction kinetics and thermodynamics of molecular transformations
  • Designing materials for wastewater treatment
  • Predicting/Analyzing properties of mixed metal oxides

Professional Affiliations

American Chemical Society (ACS), member since 2007