Joseph T. Hupp, Ph.D.
Morrison Professor of Chemistry
Joe Hupp is a native of rural western New York state. He was introduced to chemical research as an undergraduate student at Houghton College in New York, evaluating candidate electrode materials for heart pacers. He completed a B.Sc. degree in 1979. Subsequently he was a student of the late Mike Weaver at Michigan State University and Purdue University, completing a Ph.D. degree in 1983. He was a postdoc at the University of North Carolina. In 1986 he moved to Northwestern University where he is currently a Morrison Professor of Chemistry and a Senior Science Fellow in the Materials Science Division at nearby Argonne National Laboratory. He is the Deputy Director of the recently renewed Inorganometallic Catalyst Design Center (ICDC), an Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) sponsored by the Dept. of Energy. He is also the team lead for “Redox Catalysts for Energy-Demanding Reactions” thrust within the Center for Light Energy Activated Redox Processes (LEAP), also a DOE-sponsored EFRC and successor of the Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center. He completed an eleven-year stint as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society, and recently has been appointed as the chair of the editorial board for Energy & Environmental Science.
His research centers on energy- and defense-relevant materials chemistry, including materials for chemical separations, chemical catalysis, light-to-electrical energy conversion, catalytic water oxidation, high-capacity storage and release of molecular hydrogen, and capture and destruction of chemical warfare agents. His research accomplishments have been recognized with awards from the Sloan Foundation, the Dreyfus Foundation, the American Chemical Society, the Electrochemical Society, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Inter-American Photochemical Society, the Japan Society for Coordination Chemistry, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and others. He has mentored 55 students to Ph.D. completion. His research findings, described in about 580 peer-reviewed articles and in about a dozen patents, place him among the world’s most highly cited chemists as assessed by Thomson-Reuters.
Contact Info
Email:j-hupp@northwestern.edu
Phone: 847-491-3504 | Office: Ryan 1011
Anne Muller
Program Assistant
Contact Info
Email: hupp-ofc@northwestern.edu
Phone: 847-467-2132
Mansu Kim
Research Associate
Contact Info
Email: mansu.kim@northwestern.edu
Office: Ryan 1021
Haofan Yang
Postdoctoral Scholar
Ph.D., University of Liverpool, 2021
Advised by Prof. Andy Cooper
Haofan was born in Shaanxi, China. He received his B.S. (2014) from Tianjin University and Master (2017) from China University of Petroleum under the supervision of Prof. Yufeng Hu. Haofan obtained his Ph.D. (2022) under the supervision of Prof. Andy Cooper from University of Liverpool, where he worked on molecular assembly for photocatalysis. He joined Prof. Joseph Hupp’s group at Northwestern University as a postdoctoral researcher in 2023.
Research Interests: synthesis of functional MOFs for gas separation and catalysis.
Contact Info
Email: haofan.yang@northwestern.edu
Office: Ryan 1016
Jiaqi Yu
Postdoctoral Scholar
Joint with Prof. Justin Notestein
Ph.D. Chemistry, Iowa State University, 2022; advised by Prof. Wenyu Huang
B.Eng. Nanomaterials & engineering, College of Nanoscience and Technology, Soochow
University, 2018; Advised by Prof. Qiao Zhang
Jiaqi (Jackie) was born and raised in Hefei, China. She attended the College of Nanoscience and
Technology at Soochow University, where she majored in Nanomaterials & Engineering. During
her undergraduate studies, she joined Prof. Qiao Zhang’s group, working on nanomaterial
synthesis and applications in self-assembly, cancer therapy, and electrocatalysis.
Jackie completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Iowa State University under the advisement of Prof.
Wenyu Huang. During her doctorate, she constructed an intermetallic nanomaterials library,
discovered strategies to design robust catalysts for high-temperature thermocatalysis, and
developed single-atom materials for electrocatalysis.
Inspired by Prof. Bob Angelici—a Northwestern Chemistry graduate who studied under Prof.
Fred Basolo—Jackie moved to Northwestern to join Prof. Ted Sargent’s group, where she
worked on electrocatalytic oxidation reactions. After two years of training in electrochemistry,
she transitioned to Prof. Joe Hupp’s group to pursue her longstanding interest in thermocatalysis
with atomic-level precision using well-defined metal clusters. She is now jointly advised by Prof.
Justin Notestein, where she continues her work on metal clusters while exploring other
fascinating chemistry (engineering) problems.
Research Interests: Fundamental catalysis and separation studies from an atomic-level
perspective.
Contact Info
Email: jyu@northwestern.edu
Office: Tech KG34
Jake Evans
Postdoctoral Scholar (IIN Postdoctoral Fellow)
Joint with Prof. Christian Malapit
Ph.D. Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 2024
Advised by Prof. Nate Lewis
B.S. Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2019
Advised by Prof. James Cahoon
Jake grew up in Fuguay-Varina, NC before attending UNC-Chapel Hill for college, where he gained a love for college basketball. Jake performed research in the lab of Jim Cahoon while at UNC, then decided to continue his education, earning his PhD from Caltech in 2024 working in the lab of Nate Lewis. Jake joined the Malapit lab at Northwestern and is excited to use his expertise in materials and mechanistic electrochemistry to solve challenging questions on underlying the mechanisms in electrosynthesis and energy/CO2 storage. Jake enjoys science outreach, especially at the K-8 level, and outside of lab can usually be found cooking up something new in the kitchen.
Research Interests: Mechanistic electrochemistry to solve challenging questions on underlying the mechanisms in electrosynthesis and energy/CO2 storage.
Contact Info
Email: john.evans@northwestern.edu
Office: Tech G129
Xavier Krull
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2021 – present
B.S. Chemistry and Physics, Canisius College – Buffalo, 2021
Xavier was born and raised in Lockport, a city in Western New York on the Erie Canal. He studied chemistry and physics at Canisius College nearby in Buffalo before moving to Evanston to pursue a doctorate.Outside of the laboratory, Xavier takes an interest in numerous crafts like cooking, woodworking, and stained glass art.
Research Interest: Under the direction of Prof. Hupp, Xavier predominantly studies linker exchange reactions in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks with a special interest in how molecular-level processes influence the supramolecular structure.
Contact Info
Email: xavierkrull2026@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Ryan 1021
Alice Li
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2021 – present
Jointly advised by Prof. Richard Schaller
B.S. Chemistry, Bates College, 2021
Advised by Prof. Geneva Laurita
Contact Info
Email: aliceli2026@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Tech KG34
Oluwagbotemi Akinsoji
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2022 – present
B.S. Chemistry, University of Central Florida, 2021
Advised by Professor. Fernando Uribe-Romo
Oluwagbotemi Akinsoji is originally from Lagos, Nigeria, and grew up in Miami, Florida. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a minor in Hospitality Studies from the University of Central Florida. At UCF, she worked under the mentorship of Prof. Fernando Uribe-Romo, where she investigated reticular principles in zirconia-based multivariate metal–organic framework (MOF) crystallizations to control framework composition and topology. Outside of the laboratory, Oluwagbotemi enjoys baking, reading, and exploring the city of Chicago.
Research Interests: Post-synthetic modification strategies in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to enhance catalytic conversion, and charge transport. Her work explores how molecular level tuning of MOF nodes and linkers can improve light absorption, charge separation, and electron transfer in both photo- and electrochemical systems.
Contact Info
Email: OluwagbotemiAkinsoji2027@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Ryan 1019
Qianhui Wang
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2022 – present
Jointly advised by Prof. Randall Snurr (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
B.S. Chemistry, B.S. Economics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2022
Advised by Prof. K.V. Lakshmi and Prof. Peter J. Bonitatibus
Qianhui (or Andy) is originally from Beijing, the capital of China. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2022 with dual B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Economics. During his undergraduate studies at RPI, he explored water-splitting reactions using MoS₂ nanostructures in the labs of Prof. K. V. Lakshmi and Prof. Peter J. Bonitatibus. Later, he joined the labs of Prof. Joseph T. Hupp and Prof. Randall Q. Snurr (ChemEng) to begin his Ph.D.He is a Manchester United fans :).
Research Interests: His current research focuses on developing polyoxometalate and polythiometalate@Metal–Organic Frameworks (POMs/PTMs@MOFs) for gas separation applications.
Contact Info
Email: QianhuiWang2027@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Tech KG34
Sydney Koehne
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2022 – present
Jointly advised by Prof. Lin X. Chen
B.S. Chemistry, Tulane University, 2021
B.S. Mathematics, Tulane University, 2021
Advised by Prof. Russell Schmehl
Sydney is from the southwest suburbs of Chicago. They earned their bachelors degree in chemistry and mathematics in 2021 from Tulane University, where they studied excited-state proton-coupled electron transfer reactions of ruthenium photosensitizers in the lab of Prof. Russ Schmehl.Outside of the lab, Sydney enjoys running, reading, crafting, and going to concerts.
Research Interests:Sydney utilizes ultrafast optical and X-ray spectroscopies to investigate fundamental photophysics of transition metal complexes and MOFs for solar energy conversion.
Contact Info
Email: sydneykoehne2027@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Tech NG63
Zhiwei “William” Wang
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2023 – present
B.S. Chemistry, University of Rochester, 2021
William is from Shanghai, China. He acquired his bachelor degree in chemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Rochester. He worked with Prof. Kara Bren during his undergraduate study, where he studied the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrite to ammonium using iron macrocyclic pyridine(diimine) complex.
Research Interests: Electrocatalysis, charge transfer dynamics on semiconductor surface, Hydrogen splitting on node-distorted zirconium MOFs for hydrogenation.
Contact Info
Email: zhiwei.wang@northwestern.edu
Office: Tech KG34
Ayman Roslend
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2023 – present
B.S. Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2022
Advised by Prof. Cathy Murphy and Prof. Dipanjan Pan
Ayman is from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign where he earned his bachelors degree in chemistry in 2022. At UIUC, he dabbled in bioengineering research in work towards developing biodegradable MRI agents for cancer detection, as well as materials chemistry research studying lipid interactions with gold nanoparticles. He then had a brief stint in the petrochemical industry for 8 months before moving back to the US to pursue his PhD at Northwestern under Joe Hupp’s supervision. His current research explores node distortion in metal organic frameworks for catalysis applications. In his free time, Ayman enjoys reading, listening to music, and taking power naps
Research Interests:Harnessing Node Transformations in Metal-organic Frameworks for Catalysis/Gas Adsorption
Contact Info
Email: AymanRoslend2028@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Tech KG34
Hana Cheng
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2023 – present
B.S. Chemistry, SUNY Oswego, 2023
Advised by Prof. Kestutis Bendinskas
Hana is as born and raised in NYC. She studied chemistry at SUNY Oswego and worked under the mentorship of Prof. Kestutis Bendinskas. Outside the lab, Hana enjoys baking, crafting, and traveling.
Research Interests: Polythiometalates encapsulated in MOFs for catalysis
Contact Info
Email: HanaCheng2028@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Tech KG34
Qassim Al Khazal
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2023 – present
B.S. Chemistry, Texas A&M University
Qassim graduated from Texas A&M university with a B.S. in chemistry, where he worked on electroless coating of nickel nanoparticles on steel pipelines. After graduation, he worked at Saudi Aramco’s Research and Development Center in Dhahran, where he focused on material characterization with various analytical techniques.
Research Interests: Electrified CO2 capture and release applications.
Contact Info
Email: QassimAlKhazal2027@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Tech KG34
Wenxuan (Chris) Han
Graduate Student
Ph.D. Student, Northwestern University, 2024 – present
B.S. Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, 2024
Advised by Professor Jenny Yang’
Wenxuan(Chris) Han is from Nanjing, China, a city that was capital for six different dynasties in Chinese History. Chris enjoys knitting, crocheting, cooking and theatre. She earned her bachelors degree in chemistry in 2024 from the University of California, Irvine with a minor in statistics. At UCI, she studied carbon capture using various alkaline solutions in Professor Jenny Yang’s lab.
Research Interests: Sulfidated polyoxometalate (POM) in metal organic framework(MOF) and their potential applications, as well as investigating new MOFs.
Contact Info
Email: WenxuanHan2029@u.northwestern.edu
Office: Tech KG34
Giwon Lee
Visiting Graduate Researcher
Contact Info
Email: giwon.lee@northwestern.edu
Office: Ryan 1021
Yubin Oh (Julia)
Visiting Graduate Student
Yubin Oh (Julia) is from South Korea. She is currently enrolled in an Integrated Master’s and Ph.D. program in Chemical Engineering at Konkuk University. Her research focuses on oxygen evolution reaction catalysts based on titanium–carbon composite supports synthesized from hydrocarbons and MOFs. As a visiting scholar, Julia is currently working on conductive MOFs and molybdenum carbide for applications in various electrocatalytic reactions. In her free time, Julia enjoys playing tennis, piano, and baking.
Contact Info
Email: yubin.oh@northwestern.edu
Office: Ryan 1021
Daniel Lee
Undergraduate Student Researcher
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Rohan Wedam
Undergraduate Student Researcher
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