Dr. Vaso Lykourinou’s main areas of interest include green catalysis, hydrolysis (water activation), and green oxidation through oxygen/hydrogen peroxide activation by MOFs and metallopeptides and proteins, as well as sustainability curriculum, active learning, PBL, and TBL.

Her main area of focus is on development of bioinorganic complexes (peptide and protein based) or by use of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs)
for development of green catalysts and model systems for hydrolytic and oxidative processes. Current efforts also include curriculum development with emphasis on inquiry and sustainability in chemistry laboratory instruction. In collaboration with undergraduate researchers and chemistry faculty, we are working on the development of research-inspired laboratory projects incorporating biofuels, fuel cells and green catalysis. Other current efforts include redesign of freshman courses to incorporate different forms of active learning such as Team- and Problem-Based Learning (TBL and PBL) and service learning.