Brian H Davison

Bio

Brian H. Davison is a Corporate Fellow and Chief Scientist for Systems Biology and Biotechnology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is the Chief Science Officer for the Center For Bioenergy Innovation (The Center for Bioenergy Innovation | CBI (ornl.gov) from 2017-present. He was the Science Coordinator in the DOE Bioenergy Science Center from 2007 to 2017. He is the PI for the ongoing DOE-BER project on “Visualization of Solvent Disruption of Biomass and Biomembrane Structures in the Production of Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts” (https://sfa-biofuels.ornl.gov/). He is an Adjunct Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He was Director of Life Sciences Division at ORNL (2004-2005). In his thirty-eight years at ORNL, he performed biotechnology research including bioconversion of renewable resources (ethanol, organic acids, solvents), non-aqueous biocatalysis, extractive fermentations, biomass conversion and characterization, catalytic upgrading of ethanol into fuels and economic analyses of the same. He has 185+ publications and sixteen patents. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, and his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering, from the University of Rochester.
He led a multilab team which received an R&D100 Award in 1997 for “Production of Chemicals from Biologically Derived Succinic Acid,” a process ultimately licensed by BioAmber. He helped invent and develop an ethanol upgrading technology licensed by Vertimass. He received the ORNL Technology Transfer award (2018) for these and other efforts. He was the ORNL Science Communicator of 2010 for efforts in bioenergy and education. He co-chaired the 15th to 26th Symposia on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. He received the 2006 C.D. Scott award by the Society of Industrial Microbiology. He is a Fellow of AIChE, SIMB, and AIMBE.

He was on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE), 2020-2022. He is on the Board of the AIChE Society for Biological Engineering. He co-founded the ORNL LGBTQ+ group now called PRISM at ORNL in 1995 and serves as spokesperson and co-chair to promote nondiscrimination and benefit policy changes. https://www.ornl.gov/news/biosciences-chief-scientist-corporate-fellow-reflects-trailblazing-lgbtqia-presence-ornl. He is the co-chair of the ORNL Educational Research Committee since formed in 2021 as the latest aspect of his commitment to mentoring.

He is chair of the ORNL Institutional Biosafety Committee since 2002.

Awards

USDOE Secretary of Energy’s Honor Achievement Award for “DOE National Laboratories’ COVID-19 Clinical Testing Teams,” 2020.

UT-Battelle Individual Achievement in Technology Transfer, ORNL, 2018.

Fellow, Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB), 2017.

Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), 2016.

USDOE Secretary of Energy’s Honor Achievement Award for “The WIPP Technical Assessment Team (TAT) and Accident Investigation Board (AIB),” 2015.

UT-Battelle Science Communicator of the Year, ORNL, 2010.

Charles D Scott Award for distinguished contributions to the field of biotechnology for fuels and chemicals, Society for Industrial Microbiology, Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, 2006.

College of Fellows, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), 2006.

R&D100 Award for “Production of Chemicals from Biologically Derived Succinic Acid,” Research & Development Magazine, 1997. This technology was licensed for commercialization by BioAmber.          

Management Achievement Award, Life Sciences Division, ORNL, 2002.

Significant Event Award for “Expression of Lignin Peroxidase in Yeast,” ORNL, 2000.

Significant Event Award for “Dry Enzyme Catalysis,” ORNL, 2000.

Technology Maturation Award for Succinic Acid Process, ORNL, 1999.

Technical Achievement Award for “Innovative Research Leading to the Development of the Biparticle Fluidized-Bed Bioreactor,” Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., 1992.

Distinguished Writing Award for Scholarly Articles (First place) by the Society for Technical Communication - East Tennessee, 1991.

Significant Event Award for “High Productivity, Ethanol Fermentation,” Martin Marietta Energy Systems, 1987.

Outstanding Graduating Engineer, University of Rochester, 1979.

Wilson Scholar, University of Rochester, 1975–1979.

AIChE Outstanding Junior Chemical Engineer, University of Rochester, 1978.

National Merit Scholarship, 1975.

Education

Ph.D.     Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 1985. Thesis topic: “Dynamics and Coexistence of Mixed Microbial Cultures.”  Stable coexistence of competing microorganisms (E. coli and S. cerevisiae) in chemostats. Thesis Advisor:  Dr. Gregory N. Stephanopoulos

B.S.E.    Chemical Engineering, with honors, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 1979.

Trademarks and Patents

Narula, C. K., B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, “Zeolitic catalytic conversion of alcohols to hydrocarbons,” United States Patent 11,773,333 B2. Continuation of #9,938,467. awarded October 3, 2023.

Li, Z., B.H. Davison, J. Zhang, “Direct Catalytic Conversion Of Alcohols To Olefins Of Higher Carbon Number With Reduced Ethylene Production,” U.S. Patent  11,691,129_B2; awarded July 4 2023.

Narula, C. K., B.H. Davison, Z. Li, “Zeolitic catalytic conversion of alcohols to hydrocarbon fractions with reduced gaseous hydrocarbon content,” United States Patent 10,696,606   awarded June 30, 2020

Narula, C. K., B. H. Davison, “Catalytic conversion of alcohols having at least three carbon atoms to hydrocarbon blendstock,” United States Patent 9,944,861 awarded April 17, 2018

Narula, C. K., B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, “Zeolitic catalytic conversion of alcohols to hydrocarbons,”
United States Patent 9,938,467. awarded April 10, 2018

Narula, C. K., B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, “Zeolitic Catalytic Conversion of Alcohols to Hydrocarbons,” U.S. Patent 9,533,921-B2, issued date January 3, 2017.

C. K. Narula, B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, “Catalytic conversion of Alcohols to hydrocarbons with Low benzene content,” (part 2). PCT/US 201202942.0, U. S. Patent 9,434,658 (September 6, 2016).

C. K. Narula, B. H. Davison, and M. Keller, “Catalytic conversion of Alcohols to hydrocarbons with Low benzene content,” PCT/US 20140322781, (10/30/2014 published) U. S. Patent 9,278,892 (March 8, 2016).

C. K. Narula, B. H. Davison, “Catalytic conversion of alcohols having at least three carbon atoms to hydrocarbon blendstock,” 20150011813 (1/8/2015, published); USPTO#9,181,493 (issued 11/10/2015).

Passian, A., L. Tetard, T.G. Thundat, B.H. Davison, M. Keller, “Scanning Probe Microscopy with Spectroscopic Molecular Recognition,” U.S. Patent Application 2011/0231966-A1, date: Sept. 22, 2011. 

Scott, C.D., Scott, T.C., and Davison, B.H., "Apparatus and Method for the Production of Gel Beads Containing a Biocatalyst", U.S. Patent No. 5,712,212, January 27, 1998. Combined with U.S. Patent No. 5,72588A, March 8, 1998.

Scott, T.C., Scott, C.D., Faison, B.D., Davison, B.H., and Woodward, J., “Enhanced Attrition Bioreactor for Enzyme Hydrolysis of Cellulosic Materials,” (CIP) U.S. Pat. 5,637,502, June 10, 1997.

Scott, C.D., Petersen, J.N., and Davison, B.H., “Continuous Fluidized-Bed Contactor with Recycle of Sorbent,” U.S. Patent 5,534,153, July 9, 1996.

Scott, T.C., Scott, C.D., Faison, B.D., Davison, B.H., and Woodward, J., “Enhanced Attrition Bioreactor for Enzyme Hydrolysis of Cellulosic Materials,” U. S. Patent 5,508,183, April 16, 1996.

Scott, C.D., Faison, B.D., Davison, B.H., and Woodward, J., “Process for Converting Cellulosic Materials into Fuels and Chemicals,” U. S. Patent 5,345,871, September 20, 1994.

Scott C.D., and Davison, B.H., “Attrition Bioreactor System,” U. S. Patent 5,248,484, September 28, 1993.

Publications