Identifying catalyst surfaces capable of selective carbon-oxygen bond activation is a major focus of research in heterogeneous catalysis. This selective bond activation has an important role in deoxygenation of biomass-derived oxygenates. The primary aim of my project is to use a combination of surface science techniques, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and experiments conducted over supported bimetallic catalysts with an overall objective of developing principles for efficient design of deoxygenation catalyst.