Faculty Profile
Neal Abrams
Associate Professor, Associate Chair Chemistry
422 Jahn Lab
Roles and courses
Awards
- Undergraduate Student Association award for Teaching Excellence, 2022
- Recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's award for Faculty Service, 2020
- TACNY Science and Technology Outreach award, 2010
Courses taught
- General Chemistry Lecture I, FCH150
- General Chemistry Laboratory I, FCH151
- General Chemistry Laboratory II, FCH153
- Inorganic Chemistry, FCH410
- Chemistry seminar, FCH 497
- Sustainable Energy: Technology, Systems, and Policy, SUS420 (online)
- Introduction to Renewable Energy (ESF in the High School)
- Solar Energy Basics and Solar Energy Design (via Coursera)
Professional Experience
- Interim Director of the ESF Open Academy, 2022-2024, SUNY ESF
- Associate Chair, Department of Chemistry, 2019 - present, SUNY ESF
- Associate Professor of Chemistry, 2012 - present, SUNY ESF
- Assistant Professor of Chemistry, 2007-2012, SUNY ESF
- Postdoctoral researcher, 2005 - 2007, Cornell University (Fuel Cell and Solid State Chemistry)
- Lecturer, 2006 – 2007, Cornell University (Chemistry)
Education and Training
- B.S., 2000, Ithaca College (Chemistry)
- Certification in secondary education
- Ph.D., 2005, The Pennsylvania State University (Chemistry)
Research Interest
My interest lies in the areas of materials and inorganic chemistry, encompassing areas of alternative energies such as energy storage, photovoltaics, and fuel cells. Solutions to the problems in these research areas are dominated by engineering solutions and rarely by chemical solutions. My work explores novel and low-temperature synthesis routes of solid-state oxide and oxynitride materials for use as photocatalysts.
On the education side, I have a long history of teaching and outreach in high school, college, and throughout the community. While very few of us persue chemistry or even science as a career, chemistry truly central to our understanding and improvement of our shared environment. As an instructor for General Chemistry lecture and labs at ESF, I have developed interactive, guided inquiry exercises for the lecture and laboratory with a focus on energy and the environment. These experiences help develop critical thinking and organizational skills, essential for college students in General Chemistry. I am an active member of the vibrant outreach community at ESF and the local Central New York section of the American Chemical Society.
Selected Publications
- Efficient colorful perovskite solar cells designed by 2D and 3D ordered titania inverse opals. Parisa Golabi, Reza Keshavarzi, Valiollah Mirkhani, Majid Moghadam, ShahramTangestaninejad, Iraj Mohammadpoor-Baltork, Neal M.Abrams, Journal of Power Sources, 2021, 512, 230488.
- A Simple, Semi-Quantitative Device for Liquid-Liquid Separations. Logan, S. Joy; Abrams, Neal M. J. Chem Ed. 10.1021/ed300086k, 2012.
- Combining cloud networks and course management systems for enahnces Analysis in teaching laboratories. Abrams, Neal M, J. Chem. Ed., 2012, 89, 482-486.
- Utilization of direct and diffuse sunlight in a dye-sensitized solar cell-silicon photovoltaic hybrid concentrator system, Barber, Greg D.; Hoertz, Paul G.; Seung-Hyun Anna Lee; Abrams, Neal M.; Mikulca, Janine; Mallouk, Thomas E.; Liska, Paul; Zakeeruddin, Shaik M.; Gratzel, Michael; Ho-Baillie, Anita; Green, Martin A. J. Phys. Chem. C, 2011, 2, 581-585.
- Novel oxynitride compounds from cellulose biotemplates, Levine, A.; McEnaney, J.M; Abrams, N.M. Abstracts of Papers, 240th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, United States, August 22-26, 2010.
- Coupling of Titania Inverse Opals to Nanocrystalline Titania Layers in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Lee, S-H. A.; Abrams, N.M.; Hoertz, P.G.; Barber, G.D.; Halaoui, L.I.; Mallouk, T.E. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2008, 112,14415-14421.
- Highly Crystalline Inverse Opal Metal Oxides via a Combined Assembly of Soft and Hard Chemistries. Orilall, Christopher M.; Abrams, Neal M.; Lee, Jinwoo; DiSalvo, Francis J.; Wiesner, Ulrich. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2008, 130, 8882-8883.
- Self-assembled colloidal crystals: Visualizing atomic crystal chemistry using microscopic analogues of inorganic solids. Abrams, N.M.; Schaak, R. E. J. Chem. Ed. 2005, 82, 450-452.
- Increasing the conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized TiO2 photoelectrochemical cells by coupling to photonic crystals. Halaoui, L. I.; Abrams, N.M.; Mallouk, T.E. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2005, 109, 6334-6342.
- Standing wave enhancement of red absorbance and photocurrent in dye-sensitized titanium dioxide photoelectrodes coupled to photonic crystals. Nishimura, S.; Abrams, N.; Lewis, B. A.; Halaoui, L. I.; Mallouk, T. E.; Benkstein, K.D.; van de Lagemaat, J.; Frank, A. J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 6306-6310.