A modular approach to solving problems

From helping her father fix their rice cooker in her native Taiwan to synthesizing materials in the lab, Ke-Hsin Wang has always been fascinated by how tuning one small parameter can affect an entire system.

“Fixing things with my dad was fun, but when I started doing research, I realized that I could modulate the molecular structure of things to solve problems,” she said. “It was a way I could make an impact.”

Though she started her research career as a master’s student in materials science and engineering at National Taiwan University, developing biomaterials to guide the growth of neurons, she knew she could take this concept of modular engineering to other fields. 

When she heard about the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME), she got excited about designing solutions to application-based problems. 

“It turns out I could easily switch from biomaterials to the energy field, since it’s still tuning molecular structures based on the goal we want,” she said.

Now, she is a PhD student in the lab of Asst. Prof. Chibueze Amanchukwu, where she designs electrolytes for batteries. Many current electronic devices run on lithium-ion batteries, but Wang is studying batteries that employ other electrolytes, like lithium-metal or sodium-metal, with the hope of developing batteries that have higher energy densities or longer lifetimes.

“When we change the chemistry of the battery, we are tuning it to try to get the properties we want,” she said. “We look at the advantages and the disadvantages to try to find which chemistry works the best for what we want.”

With her lab mates, Wang designs, synthesizes, and tests different electrolytes. “We’re all working on different projects, but we all talk to each other to see if we can borrow knowledge from each other,” she said. “It’s easy to get good insight and feedback because we are on the same page but have different perspectives on the same problem.”

Working with Amanchukwu is “very inspiring,” she said. “I can talk with him about how my project is going, or run new ideas by him. I even talk about career plans that I’m thinking about. He’s a really good listener.” 

Being in this interdisciplinary environment of UChicago PME has been a real advantage for me.

PhD student Ke-Hsin Wang

Outside of the lab, Wang spends time rock climbing—a sport that requires problem solving and strength. “You try to find the right route, and if you stick to one too long, you forget about other solutions that are present,” she said. “It reflects my research life, when I dig into a problem for too long and forget about something else in my research that’s even more important. It helps me think about other problems and solutions.”

She also loves spending time in Chicago, attending festivals and visiting museums. She even taught visitors at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry about batteries during the museum’s Chicago’s Science Works event, or Battery Day. 

Though she hasn’t chosen a career path yet, her goal remains the same: solve problems that have an impact on society. 

“Being in this interdisciplinary environment of UChicago PME has been a real advantage for me,” she said. “I talk with my friends in immunology and quantum, and I can convey what I want to say in a language that a broad audience can understand. That will help me in whatever career I choose.”

—Learn more about the PhD programs at UChicago PME