Education

B.S. 1959, Brooklyn College
Ph.D. 1963, University of Maryland

Research Interests

Dr. Liotta is a Regents’ Professor of Chemistry with a joint appointment in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. He has collaborated with Charles Eckert for two decades: they share laboratory space and codirect students from both disciplines. The joint research is focused at the interface between chemistry and engineering; applications include sustainable technology, energy conservation, innovative separations (including bioseparations), and novel materials. They draw heavily on the molecular and analytical interpretations of chemists and chemical physicists for an understanding of intermolecular interactions in solutions. These results are used to develop methods for tailoring separation and reaction process for specific applications.

Dr. Liotta's research interests also involve both synthesis and physical-organic chemistry, and extend to applications in the areas of kinetics and mechanisms of heterogeneous reactions (phase transfer catalysis), applied chemical kinetics and homogeneous catalysis, molecular thermodynamics and solution theory, phase equilibria, reactions and processes in supercritical and near critical fluids, effect of high pressure and temperature on solution behavior, separation processes, applications to environmental control, synthesis of new barrier materials, and applications to novel materials.

Liotta has won the Malcolm Pruitt Award of the Council for Chemical Research, and he and Eckert were selected jointly for the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. He has in addition won a number of other teaching and research awards, and as served as a consultant for major industries.