William F. Schneider, Keating-Crawford Professor of Chemical Engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been named a 2025 American Chemical Society (ACS) fellow. Fellows are selected for outstanding contributions to science and service to the ACS community.
According to the ACS citation, Schneider was chosen for “leadership in the development and application of first principles models to address chemical problems and solutions in energy and sustainability, especially in the heterogeneous catalysis of nitrogen transformations,” as well as, “for lifelong service to ACS, most recently as Chair of the Catalysis Science and Technology (CATL), leading the division out of COVID and implementing programs to attract, serve and grow membership.”
Schneider and his lab focus on problems in energy and the environment that benefit from molecular scale, chemical insight. Drawing on the fundamental laws governing the behavior of atoms and molecules, the group uses simulations to understand and predict catalytic materials and processes that transform naturally occurring molecules into safe and economically useful products..
“As Bill’s longtime colleague, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand his groundbreaking work in catalysis, particularly in using first-principles models to tackle critical problems in energy and sustainability,” said Edward Maginn, associate vice president for research at the University of Notre Dame and Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Engineering. “We are incredibly proud of this achievement and honored to have him as a leader in our department.”
All 36 2025 ACS fellows, which included Nobel laureate Frances Arnold, were recognized at the ACS Fall 2025 Meeting, August 17-21 in Washington, D.C.
—Karla Cruise, Notre Dame Engineering