EDUCATION

• PhD, Chemistry (Physical), 2005, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• MS, Chemistry (Physical), 2000, Peking University, Beijing, China
• BS, Chemistry, 1997, Peking University, Beijing, China

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 08/2022 – present Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University
• 07/2022 – 06/2024 Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, University of California Riverside (UCR)
• 07/2020 – 06/2022 Professor of Chemistry, UCR
• 11/2018 – 06/2022 Cooperating Faculty Member, Dept of Chem. & Env. Engineering, UCR
• 07/2017 – 06/2020 Associate Professor of Chemistry with Tenure, UCR
• 10/2015 – 06/2022  Cooperating Faculty Member, Materials Science & Engineering Program, UCR
• 07/2014 – 06/2017 Assistant Professor of Chemistry, UCR
• 11/2006 – 06/2014 Member of R&D Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• 07/2005 – 11/2006 Postdoctoral Research Associate, ORNL
• 09/2004 – 06/2005 Visiting Student Research Collaborator, Princeton University
• 06/2001 – 06/2005 Graduate Student Researcher, UCLA
• 09/1998 – 06/2000 Graduate Research Assistant, Peking University, China
• 09/1996 – 07/1997 Undergraduate researcher, Peking University, China

DETAILED RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 01/2023 – present Professor of Chemistry (courtesy), Vanderbilt University
• 09/2022 – present Affiliated Faculty, VINSE, Vanderbilt University
• 08/2022 – present Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (Primary), Vanderbilt University
• 07/2020 – 06/2022 Professor of Chemistry with Tenure, UCR
• 07/2017 – 06/2020 Associate Professor of Chemistry with Tenure, UCR
• 07/2014 – 06/2017 Assistant Professor of Chemistry, UCR
• 04/2011 – 06/2014 R&D Staff Scientist, ORNL
• 11/2006 – 04/2011 R&D Associate, ORNL
• 07/2005 – 11/2006 Postdoctoral Research Associate, ORNL

          Mentors: Dr. Sheng Dai and Dr. Bobby G. Sumpter

• 09/2004 – 06/2005 Visiting Student Research Collaborator, Princeton University
• 09/2004 – 06/2005 Dissertation Year Fellow, UCLA
• 01/2002 – 08/2004 Graduate Student Researcher, UCLA

           Advisor: Prof. Emily A. Carter (now at Princeton University)

           Ph.D. dissertation title: “Chemistry of iron surfaces and interfaces from first principles”

• 09/2001 – 12/2001 Teaching Assistant, UCLA
• 06/2001 – 09/2001 Graduate Researcher in Prof. Sarah Tolbet's and Prof. Benjamin Schwartz's groups, UCLA
• 09/2000 – 06/2001  Teaching Assistant, UCLA
• 09/1998 – 06/2000 Graduate Research Assistant, Peking University, China

          Advisors: Profs. Youchang Xie and Biying Zhao

          M.S. thesis title: “Supported solid bases as regenerable adsorbents for flue gas desulfurization"

• 09/1996 – 07/1997 Undergraduate researcher, Peking University, China

          Advisors: Profs. Youchang Xie and Biying Zhao

          B.S. thesis title: “Supported solid bases as a co-catalyst for sweetening jet fuel”

AWARDS AND HONORS

• Highly Cited Researcher, in Cross-Field Category, Clarivate - Web of Science, 2023
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2021
• Kavli Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, 2012
• Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), 2010
• DOE Office of Science Early Career Scientist and Engineer Award, 2009
• ORNL Early Career Award for scientific achievements, 2009
• UCLA Dissertation Year Fellow, 2004-2005
• George Gregory Research Award, UCLA, 2004
• Graduate Academic Award, UCLA, 2001

PROFESSIONAL Socities

• Member: American Chemical Society;
• Member: Materials Research Society;
• Member: American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Journal Referee for

• Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Energy, Nature Communications
• Journal of the American Chemical Society, Nano Letters, ACS Nano
• Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Journal of Physical Chemistry A/B/C, Langmuir
• Chemistry of Materials, Inorganic Chemistry, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
• ACS Catalysis, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Energy & Fuels
• Angewandte Chemie, Chemistry – A European Journal,  ChemPhysChem
• Advanced Materials, ChemSusChem, Small
• Progress in Materials Science
• Energy & Environmental Science, Chemical Science, ChemComm
• Nanoscale, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, RSC Advances
• Scientific Reports
• Surface Science, Applied Surface Science, Surface and Interface Analysis
• Journal of Catalysis, Journal of Molecular Catalysis, Catalysis Today
• Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B
• Journal of Chemical Physics, Journal of Applied Physics
• Journal of Physics – Condensed Matter
• Chemical Physics Letter, Molecular Physics, Chemical Physics
• Computational Materials Science, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
• Carbon, Journal of Polymer Science Part B, AIChE Journal, Chemical Engineering Journal
• Physica Status Solidi, Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, Journal of Crystal Growth
• Fuel Processing Technology, International Journal of Energy Research
• Pure and Applied Chemistry, Nano-Micro Letters

NSF Review Panels served:

• DMR, 2012
• CHE, 2018
• CHE, 2021
• DMR, 2022

Ad hoc proposal review for:

• National Science Foundation
• ACS Petroleum Research Fund
• Department of Energy - Office of Science
• Foundation for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and Science, Portugal
• Hong Kong Research Grants Council
• Poland National Science Centre

JOURNAL Editor and BOARDS

• International Advisory Panel: Materials Research Express by Institute of Physics
• Associate Editor: Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, published by American Institute of Physics; appointment term, 8/01/2015 – 07/31/2017.
• Editorial Board: Carbon Trends, published by Elsevier

QUOTES IN THE NEWS MEDIA

• MIT News (11 May 2015): “Plugging up leaky graphene”
• Chemistry World (11 May 2012): "Gas separation with graphene nanopores"

PATENT ACTIVITIES

• US Patent Publication #US20130078170 A1 “Phosphonium-based ionic liquids and their use in the capture of polluting gases”; inventors: S. Dai, C. Wang, H. Luo, and D. Jiang. Patent #: US9670237 (issued: 6/6/2017), WO2013044026A1 (link)
• US Patent Publication #US20170043303 “Cross-linked polymeric membranes for carbon dioxide separation”; inventors: Hong, T.; Chatterjee, S.; Mahurin, S. M.; Long, B. K.; Jiang, D.E.; Mays, J.; Sokolov, A. P.; Saito, T. Patent #: US9873094 (issued: 1/23/2018). (link)

Other PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

• ORAU/ORNL High Performance Computing Grant Project Review Panel, 2011
• Reviewer for Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad (USA/DC), 2011
• ORNL Laboratory-Directed Research and Development Seed Grant review committee, 2011-2013.
• Reviewer for Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad (USA/DC), 2012.
• Reviewer for Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad (USA/DC), 2014.
• Reviewer for Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad (USA/DC), 2015.
• Reviewer for the Cathy Bank and Morning Light Foundation scholarship, 2017.
• University of California Riverside Academic Senate, Committee on Committees, elected member, 2019-2022
• Membership Chair and Leadership Team, American Chemical Society, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division, 2024.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

• Council Chair (2009-2010) of East Tennessee Chinese Association.