[1] Research Experience

2022-Present Schmidt Science Fellow, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

Hatton Research Group & Sargent Research Group

Research advisors: Prof. T. Alan Hatton (MIT ChemE) & Prof. Ted Sargent (Northwestern Chemistry)

Project: Integrated Carbon Capture and Utilization


2021-2022 Postdoc Fellow & Impact Fellow, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

Hatton Research Group & MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium (MCSC)

Research advisor: Prof. T. Alan Hatton

Project: Distributed Carbon Capture in Urban Settings (Hatton), Benchmarking CCUS (MCSC)


2016-2021 Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

Integrated Micro & Nano-Fluidic Systems Laboratory (Erickson Lab)

Principal Investigator: Prof. David Erickson

Committee Members: Prof. Emmanuel Giannelis; Prof. Saurabh Mehta; Prof. Tobias Hanrath

Project 1: HI-Light – A Solar-thermocatalytic Reactor for CO2 Reduction [Link]

Project 2: FeverPhone – Fever Diagnosis with a Mobile Device [Link]


2015-2016 Visiting Graduate Research Assistant, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

Mesoscale Nuclear Materials Laboratory (Short Lab)

Inviter: Prof. Mujid Kazimi (Member of National Academy of Engineering)

Principal Investigator: Prof. Michael Short

Project: Multilayer Composite Fuel Cladding & Oxidation Experiments [Link 1] [Link 2]


2014-2015 Graduate Research Assistant, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

McGill Metals Processing Centre

Principal Investigator: Prof. Roderick Guthrie (FRSC, FCAE, FCIM)

Project: An in-situ, on-line Aqueous Particle Sensor (APS) for Micro-bubble Detection [Link]


2013-2014 Research Assistant, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China

MOE Key Laboratory of Thermal-Fluid Science and Engineering

Principal Investigator: Prof. Yaling He (Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Project: Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) with Bio-cathodes


2011-2012 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an

State Key Lab of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering

Principal Investigator: Prof. Bofeng Bai

Project: A Swirl Generator for High Water-cut Crude Oil Transmission

[2] Teaching Experience

In Fall 2021, I am one of the teaching staff for MIT Energy & Climate Ventures (Course 15.366), a multidisciplinary, team-based course that teaches the skillsets required to launch new ventures in the energy and climate space at MIT.

In Fall 2017, I was one of the three Graduate Teaching Assistants for Thermodynamics (MAE 2210) at Cornell University. Grading experiences include Combustion Processes (MAE 5430).

In Winter 2015, I was the only Teaching Assistant for Advanced Process Engineering (MIME 455) at McGill University. Grading experiences include Applied Fluid Dynamics/Heat, Mass and Fluid Flow (MIME 340 & MIME 356), and Fluid Mechanics (MECH 331).

Class of MIME 455 I was TAed for

[3] Mentoring Experience

I was fortunate to have the chance to mentor several wonderful undergraduate students at MIT, Cornell, and McGill. The collaboration led to co-authored journal publications and conference presentations. It also earned external recognitions for my undergraduate mentees. These include:

  • Patrick Xinyi Liu. "Additive Manufacturing in CCUS." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, Summer 2022

  • Simeng Cheng. "Machine Learning in Carbon Capture." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, Summer 2022

  • Jianna Liu. "Machine Learning for MOF-based Carbon Capture." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, Spring & Summer 2022

  • Jason Garcia. "Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs) - CO2 in Urban Areas." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, Spring & Summer 2022

  • Helen Chen. "NETs - CO2 in Rivers and Oceans." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, Spring & Summer 2022

  • Andrea Aude. "Benchmarking Photocatalytic Materials for CO2 Reduction." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, IAP 2022 & Spring 2022

  • Claire A Kim. "Life-cycle Analysis of Carbontech." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, Fall 2021 & IAP 2022 & Spring 2022

  • Alfonso D Restrepo. "Techno-economic Assessment of Carbontech; Benchmarking Photocatalytic Devices for CH3OH Production from CO2 Reduction." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, Fall 2021 & IAP 2022 & Spring 2022

  • Alexander Freedline. "Review on Optofluidic Reactor Design." Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT, IAP 2022

  • Tingwei Liu. "A 3D Numerical Simulation of CO2 Photothermal Catalytic Conversion." Undergraduate & M.Eng. Research, Cornell University, Summer & Fall 2019 & Spring 2020, Now an engineer at Goldman Sachs, Austin, TX. (Bill Nye '77 Award in Undergrad Research, Co-authored journal publications & conference presentations in Nature Conference on Solar Fuels'19, SPIE OPTO'20)

  • Tao Hong. "Controlled Etching of Glass Waveguides in Photocatalytic Reactors." Undergraduate Research Project, Cornell University, Summer & Fall 2019, Now a Russell G. Hamilton Scholar and Ph.D. Student at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. (Bill Nye '77 Award in Undergrad Research, $75,000 Cooke Graduate Scholarship Winner, Co-authored journal publications & conference presentations in Nature Conference on Solar Fuels'19, SPIE OPTO'20)

  • Spencer Hong. "Gradient Coating of Glass Waveguides in Photocatalytic Reactors." Undergraduate Research Project, Cornell University, Fall 2019, Now a Ph.D. Student at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. (Ryan Graduate Fellowship Winner, Co-authored journal publications & conference presentations in Nature Conference on Solar Fuels'19)

  • Cheng-Hung (Jason) Hsin. "An in-situ Particle Detection Sensor." Undergraduate Co-op Research Project, McGill University, Spring 2015, Now an engineer at Pratt & Whitney, Montreal, QC, Canada. (Co-authored journal publication on ISIJ International, Admitted to McGill MSE's fully funded thesis-based M.Eng. program)