Liang Feng will be departing from the Stoddart Group at Northwestern University this fall to embark on his independent academic career at Duke University. He will join Duke University’s Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS) and Department of Chemistry (CHEM) in September.
Despite beginning his journey during the challenging COVID pandemic, Liang persevered and delivered high-quality research related to his groundbreaking discovery of mechanisorption. Over the past three years as a member of the Stoddart Group, Liang has focused on non-equilibrium adsorption, a process capable of transferring molecules from low-concentration solutions to significantly more concentrated surfaces against concentration gradients. This work has led to the development of a series of new high-energy materials for energy storage. His career at Northwestern has been marked by exceptional productivity, including the groundbreaking discovery of the first fundamentally new adsorption mechanism since the 1930s, which has revolutionized approaches to methane and hydrogen storage, carbon capture, and water remediation in active non-equilibrium systems.
Liang’s research accomplishments from the Stoddart Group at Northwestern have garnered him numerous awards and recognitions, such as the International Adsorption Society Young Researcher Award, Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, MRS Postdoctoral Award, CAS Future Leader, MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 of China, ACS PMSE Future Faculty Scholarship, and ACS COLL Victor K. LaMer Award Finalist, among others. As he moves forward, Liang plans to assemble an interdisciplinary research team at Duke University to develop innovative materials and mechanisms that address pressing global challenges in energy, climate, and sustainability.
Congratulations, Liang! The time has come for you to forge your own path. We eagerly anticipate the groundbreaking advancements you’ll make in your future research. Best of luck!
You can keep track of Liang’s independent research activities at his new group website: www.liangfengchem.com
Pictured below — Liang Feng with Fraser, and Liang on the Duke campus:
