Renewably synthesized hydrocarbon fuels could afford all the benefits of traditional fossil fuels while remaining carbon neutral. These fuels would prove useful not only for demanding transportation applications (think airplanes) but for large scale grid energy storage. Within the arena of solar fuels, we study and engineer metal oxides tolerant of extreme oxygen non-stoichometry. In the lab, we use thermally-produced oxygen vacancies to produce syngas (CO + H2) from CO2 and H2O. With the right materials and reactor conditions, syngas can be converted into hydrocarbon fuels. We work hard to bridge theory, experiment, and multiple subdisciplines within material science and engineering. Our research touches on defect chemistry, ceramic process/property relationships, catalytic surface mechanisms, chemical thermodynamics, reactor optimization.