B.S., Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, 2015. Honors Research advised by Prof. Paul E. Laibinis

Ph. D., Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 2020. Thesis advised by Prof. Nathan S. Lewis

My research interests are broadly defined by electrochemistry used for deep decarbonization. Electrochemistry is the science of using electricity to drive chemical reactions. Deep decarbonization is the process of eliminating human-caused emissions of CO2, which are currently associated with most of the energy and materials that we consume. Electrochemistry provides a pathway for the use of emissions-free sources of electricity to deliver reliable electricity, power manufacturing processes, and produce energy dense fuels.

Specifically, my group researches electrochemical interfaces used for long-duration energy storage, devices for zero-emissions iron making, and advanced cell designs for green hydrogen production.

As the Director of the Electrochemistry Masters Internship Program I lead industry partnerships and sponsored projects for the Master’s students pursuing careers as electrochemists and electrochemical engineers. I also lead a collaborative project sponsored by the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Process developing electrolyzers for the production of iron and commodity chemicals. With the Center for Interfacial Ionics, I study the fundamental kinetics and transport of ion-transfer reactions required for energy storage.

https://kempler.uoregon.edu/publications/

Rajeev, M., Jerome-Saboori, A., Boettcher, S. W.,* Kempler, P. A.* (2025) Impact of dissolved iron on alkaline water electrolysis cells. ACS Catalysis (in press) 

Thurman, K., Cannan, C., Shekhar, R., Zhao, Y., Boettcher, S. W.,* Kempler, P. A.* (2025) Anions in corrosion: Influence of polymer electrolytes on the interfacial ion transfer kinetics of Cu at Au (111) surfaces. ACS Electrochemistry

Kempler, P. A.,* Coridan, R. H., & Luo, Long. (2024). Gas Evolution in Water Electrolysis. Chemical Reviews. 124 (19), 10964-11007

Noble, B. B., Konovalova, A., Moutarlier, L. J., Brogden, V. & Kempler, P. A.* (2024) Electrochemical chlor-iron process for iron production from iron oxide and salt water. Joule. 8(3) p714-727