Joshua S. Heyne, Ph.D.
Director, Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory
Co-director, WSU-PNNL Bioproducts Institute
Washington State University
Keynote Title: From Barrels to Blend Limits: The Science Standing Between Sustainable Aviation Fuel and the Wing
Abstract: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is essential for decarbonizing air transportation, yet global production remains below 1% of jet fuel demand. This talk examines the full SAF landscape — from feedstock and conversion pathways to the specification and qualification frameworks that govern market entry. Drawing on a decade of prescreening approximately 500 candidate fuels from producers worldwide, I will discuss how advanced analytical methods — including two-dimensional gas chromatography with vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy and composition-property modeling — can dramatically reduce the volume, cost, and time required to evaluate prospective fuels. I will also address the case for 100% synthetic aviation fuels and what a property-based qualification framework could mean for SAF scale-up.
Biography: Joshua S. Heyne is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University and Director of the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory. He co-directs the WSU-PNNL Bioproducts Institute and holds a joint appointment as a Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Prof. Heyne served as a chief coordinator of the FAA's National Jet Fuel Combustion Program and is the most published and cited author in sustainable aviation fuel research globally. His laboratory has prescreened approximately 500 fuel samples from over 40 institutions worldwide. He is co-editor of Fuel Effects on Operability of Aircraft Gas Turbine Combustors (AIAA, 2021) and has published in Nature Materials, Joule, and PNAS. His current research focuses on composition-property prediction, fuel specification reform, and accelerating SAF qualification pathways.
Shannon M. Bragg-Sitton
Associate Laboratory Director
Energy & Environment Science & Technology
Idaho National Laboratory
Biography: As the Associate Laboratory Director of Energy and Environment Science and Technology at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Shannon oversees a team of over 350 staff dedicated to a resilient, affordable, and diverse energy agenda. She steers INL's research efforts to deliver viable energy solutions focusing on microgrid systems, water treatment, critical minerals and materials, advanced manufacturing, and efficient chemical production while harnessing cutting-edge technologies to efficiently integrate nuclear and other energy resources into the grid and the industrial sector. Shannon has earned a bachelor of science in nuclear engineering, master of science in medical physics, and a master of science and doctorate in nuclear engineering.
Laura Schaefer
Burton J. and Ann M. McMurtry Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Rice University
Biography: Dr. Laura Schaefer is the Burton J. and Ann M. McMurtry Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University, where she heads the Solar Communities Working Group. She was formerly the Deputy Director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and Associate Director of the Center for Energy at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research centers on the analysis, design and optimization of energy systems, with an emphasis on improving energy efficiency and diversification for increased sustainability. Her research has received over $12 million in funding by organizations such as NSF, DOE, AFOSR, ASHRAE, PITA, and NCIIA. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the founding and former Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier journal Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, and a past Chair of the Advanced Energy Systems Division of ASME.