Mary Kate Mitchell Lane

Mary Kate earned a PhD in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from Yale University, conducting research in Dr. Julie Zimmerman’s green engineering research group. She was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, the 2021 ACS Green Chemistry Institute Joseph Breen Memorial Fellow, and an Advanced Graduate Leadership Program Fellow.

Mary Kate’s thesis research utilized supercritical fluids as green solvents for biorefinery and nanoparticle synthesis applications. She also applied expertise in green chemistry to increase inclusion. For example, her perspective paper published in Nature Sustainability, “Green Chemistry as Just Chemistry,” showed the goals of green chemistry and environmental justice are often aligned, and emphasized that these two fields can synergistically work together. She also led a literature review project on hazards for pregnant researchers working in chemical labs and how green chemistry can create safer lab spaces entitled “What to Expect When Expecting in Lab: A Review of Unique Risks and Resources for Pregnant Researchers in the Chemical Laboratory,” published in Chemical Research in Toxicology.

Mary Kate is originally from Michigan and completed undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at Michigan Technological University in the Upper Peninsula. Prior to graduate school, Mary Kate gained experience in a diverse set of industry and research roles (interning in oil refining and natural gas distribution; research in ultracapacitor development, biofuel synthesis, and water treatment) that motivated the pursuit of a research career focused on green chemistry, renewable energy, and sustainability.

As an MCSC Impact Fellow, Mary Kate is investigating the optimization of converting waste materials (e.g., plastics, agricultural wastes) into usable products like sustainable aviation fuel through experimental research in the Plata Lab in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is also looking at broader impacts of material and energy flow across the economy with the aim to increase circularity and sustainability.