Yi-Lin Wu obtained his B.S. degree at National Taiwan University, and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree at ETH Zürich under the direction of Professors François Diederich. He subsequently took up a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Professor Michael R. Wasielewski at Northwestern University, where he was promoted as a Research Faculty in 2014.

Yi-Lin has taken a range of directions in organic and physical organic chemistry, which include (i) the development of novel chromophores via rapid and atom-efficient transformation, (ii) DFT-assisted mechanistic/kinetic study of chemical transformation, (iii) characterization of supramolecular assemblies via small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering and X-ray diffraction, and (iv) photochemistry (e.g. photoinduced electron/energy transfer, exciton process, spin dynamics, and singlet exciton fission) in supramolecular systems or molecular aggregates. His knowlege of light–matter interactions and experiences in molecule and material synthesis with atomic precision have lead him to the creation of reliable molecular, supramolecular, or organic-inorganic hybrid systems for photochemical transformations to convert benign and abundant solar power into chemical energy. With such systems, the long-term goal would be making use of the end-product of most chemical transformations, thereby generating high-energy species or valuable building blocks.