McCrory Bio

Charles C. L. McCrory, Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry
Professor of Macromolecular Sci. & Eng.
Associate Chair of Graduate Studies in Chemistry

B.S. Chemistry, Indiana University, 2004
B.S. Mathematics, Indiana University, 2004
Ph.D. Chemistry, Stanford University, 2010
Postdoctoral Fellow, Caltech, 2010-2011

(734) 763-8060
[email protected]

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Dr. Charles C. L. McCrory is a Professor of Chemistry in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and a Professor of Macromolecular Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. He earned dual B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he was a Wells Scholar conducting research with Professor George E. Ewing studying the structure and composition of thin films of water on single-crystal salt surfaces. He earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University for his research with Professor Christopher E. D. Chidsey studying the kinetics and mechanisms of electrocatalytic oxygen reduction and alcohol oxidation by discrete molecular complexes immobilized onto carbon surfaces. He continued working in molecular electrocatalysis during his postdoctoral research with Professor Jonas C. Peters at the California Institute of Technology studying the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction by Co- and Ni-complexes.

In 2011, Professor McCrory joined the research staff of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), an Energy Innovation Hub of Department of Energy dedicated to the development of integrated solar-fuels technology. As Lead Benchmarking Scientist at JCAP, Professor McCrory supervised a research team in the development and implementation of protocols for evaluating the activity and stability of solid-state heterogeneous (photo)electrocatalytic materials for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR).  His electrocatalyst benchmarking papers (1,2,3) have been cited thousands of times and began new conversations on best practices to effectively measure and report the performance of electrocatalysts. In 2015, he left JCAP to join the faculty at the University of Michigan as an Assistant Professor, being promoted to Associate Professor in 2022 and Professor in 2025.

Professor McCrory’s research at the University of Michigan focuses on converting industrial waste chemicals to value-added fuels and products. A specific focus of his work is tuning catalyst activity by controlling their microenvironment: the chemical and coordination environment surrounding the catalyst active site. He is also also a dedicated teacher and mentor who has instructed over 3,400 students at the University of Michigan–mostly 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students–and who has successfully has mentored over 50 graduate, undergraduate, and high school student researchers in his research group. Professor McCrory’s research, teaching, and mentoring success has been recognized by some of the top external honors in chemistry including the NSF CAREER Award, the DOE Early Career Award, and the Cottrell Scholars Award, and also by some of the top internal distinctions at the University of Michigan including the LSA LEAD Fellowship, the Imes and Moore Mentorship Award, and the John Dewey Award.