Michelle K. Kidder, Ph.D

Senior R&D Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

2019 Research Award Winner

Dr. Michelle Kidder is a Senior Research Staff Scientist, an ORNL Program Manager for Fossil Energy Carbon Management in Utilization, and Scientific Lead for Net Zero Carbon strategies in the Energy Science and Technology Directorate at ORNL. Her research focuses on novel material development and processes in alternative clean energy production from renewable resources including biomass, carbon capture and conversion. Here, she works to establish new approaches that elucidate underlying reaction mechanisms to further design and control material properties for optimal performance and scale-up. Her leading efforts integrate a multidisciplinary approach to help improve technologies and accelerate the deployment of green pathways for sustainable chemicals and fuels. Dr. Kidder has over 70 journal publications, a book and 7 patents. She served as Chair of the National American Chemical Society Energy and Fuels Division and in 2018 was named an American Chemical Society Fellow. She received her BS in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Brockport and her PhD in Physical Organic Chemistry from South Dakota State University.