Email: bcgates at ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530)-752-3953
Professional Experience
- University of California, Davis, Department of Chemical Engineering: Professor, 1992-2003; Distinguished Professor, 2003-present.
- University of Delaware, Department of Chemical Engineering: Assistant Professor, 1969-1973; Associate Professor, 1973-1977; Professor, 1977-1985; H. Rodney Sharp Professor, 1985-1992; Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Associate Director, 1977-1981, 1988-1992, Director, 1981-1988; Department of Chemistry, Professor, 1987-1992.
- Chevron Research Co., Richmond, CA, Research Engineer, 1967- 1969.
- Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Post-doctoral Fellow, 1966-1967; Visiting Professor, 1975-1976; 1983-1984; 1990-91; 1998-99.
- Hokkaido University, Visiting Professor, 2013.
Professional Activities
- Editor, Advances in Catalysis, 1995-2014.
- Catalysis Society of North America, member of Board of Directors (at large), 1997-present.
- Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, 2003-2017.
- Co-chair, North American Meeting of the Catalysis Society, San Francisco, June 7–12, 2009.
- Member, Scientific Advisory Committee, Stanford Synchotron Radiation Lightsource.
- Member, Scientific Advisory Committee, National Synchrotron Light Source II.
- Chair, Technical Advisory Committee, National Advanced Biofuels Consortium, 2009-2013.
- Co-chair, Department of Energy Workshop, Basic Research Needs: Catalysis for Energy.
- Sasol Technology, Board of Directors, 2009-2012.
- International Advisory Board, Shenhua, 2015-2020.
Honors
- National Academy of Inventors, Fellow, 2021
- Michel Boudart Award, North American Catalysis Society and European Federation of Catalysis Societies, 2017.
- Catalysis Society of South Africa, Eminent Visitor to South Africa Award, 2010.
- Robert L. Burwell Lectureship, North American Catalysis Society, 2009.
- National Academy of Engineering, 2007.
- Council for Chemical Research, Malcolm E. Pruitt Award, 2006.
- R. W. Moulton Medal (Distinguished Alumnus Award, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington), 2005.
- Michigan Catalysis Society Guiseppe Parravano Memorial Award, 2005.
- American Chemical Society Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis, 2004.
- University of California, Distinguished Professor, 2003–present.
- AIChE, Northern California Section Award for Chemical Engineering Excellence for Professional Development, 2002/2003.
- AIChE, R. H. Wilhelm Award in Chemical Reaction Engineering, 2002.
- Senior Alexander von Humboldt Prize, University of Munich, 1998-99; 2002.
- AIChE, William H. Walker Award for Excellence in Contributions to Chemical Engineering Literature, 1995.
- American Chemical Society Award in Petroleum Chemistry, 1993.
- Fulbright Professorship, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Visiting Professorship, University of Munich, 1990-91.
- AIChE, Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research, 1989.
- Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York Award for Excellence in Catalysis, 1989.
- Center for Advanced Study Fellowship, University of Delaware, 1988‑89.
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship, 1987.
- Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award, 1986.
- American Chemical Society, Delaware Section Award, 1985.
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Visiting Professorship; Fulbright Professorship, University of Munich, 1983-84.
- Distinguished Scientist Award, University of Delaware Chapter of Sigma Xi, 1979.
- Fulbright Professorship, University of Munich, 1975-76.
- Fulbright grant for postdoctoral research, University of Munich, 1966-67.
- NSF Graduate fellowships, University of Washington, 1963-64, 1965‑66.
Lectureships
- Fulbright Lectureships: Technion, University of the Negev (Beersheba), 1975; Universities of Liege, Porto, Bath, Leeds, and Ankara, 1984.
- Frontiers in Chemistry Lectures, Case Western Reserve University, 1986.
- Union Carbide Lecture, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1988.
- Donald Katz Lectures, University of Michigan, 1989.
- McCabe Lecture, North Carolina State University, 1989.
- Caterpillar Lecture, University of Iowa, 1997.
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Distinguished Catalysis Science Lecture, 2004.
- Advance Lecture, Kansas State University, 2007.
- Doraiswamy Lecture, Iowa State University, 2007, and National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India, 2008.
- Hunter Henry Lecture, Mississippi State University, 2008.
- Ashton Cary Lecture, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008.
- Presidential Symposium, American Chemical Society Meeting, New Orleans, 2008.
- Distinguished Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of California, Riverside, 2009.
- W.N. Lacey Lectureship in Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 2010.
- Distinguished Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, 2012.
- Vladimir Haensel Invitational Lecturer in Catalysis, UOP LLC, 2014.
- Eastman Chemical Company Distinguished Lecturer in Catalysis, University of California, Berkeley, 2014.
- Ensor Lectureship, Washington State University, 2016.
- Rutgers University Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Lectureship, 2016.
- Botsaris Lectureship, Tufts University, 2017.
- Friedlander Lectureship, UCLA, 2017.
- ExxonMobil Lectureship, University of Massachusetts, 2018.