Dr. Drisdell’s interests center around understanding the chemistry and chemical mechanisms that underlie processes relating to energy research, through a combination of in situ experimentation and first principles calculations. His primary focus is on synchrotron X-ray techniques, because these provide elemental and electronic selectivity even in complex chemical environments. When coupled with computations, these techniques offer information about chemical species, orientations, and electronic configurations, and the role these play in efficiency and performance. In JCAP, Dr. Drisdell is engaged in in situ synchrotron X-ray spectroscopic studies to probe the mechanism for CO2 reduction. This includes studies of both catalysts and electrochemical products, utilizing in situ hard and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Instrument design, experimentation, and first principles computations are all integral to this effort. The initial focus is on developing and demonstrating sensitivity to the interface between the catalyst and the electrolyte (or gaseous reactive medium) during operation.