Chong Liu, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering, has been named a 2023 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar for her effort to design interfacial ion pathways for critical element separation.
The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports talented young faculty in the chemical sciences who’ve demonstrated leadership in research and education. Awardees are selected by a panel of distinguished faculty in the chemical sciences and receive an unrestricted research grant of $100,000.
“It is a great honor to receive this award and we hope to explore new exciting research directions with the grant,” said Liu.
Liu is a materials and electrochemical engineer whose work centers on the design of optimal solid-state electrodes, which can be used to separate valuable elements from water without the need for harsh solvents. If successful, her work could offer an inexpensive and environmentally friendly method to boost the supply of materials needed to manufacture renewable energy technology.
The University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering integrates science and engineering to address global challenges from the molecular level up. One of the school’s central themes, Materials Systems for Sustainability and Health, performs cutting-edge research in pursuit of polymeric materials, new water purification methods, battery materials, sensing applications, self-assembling materials to prevent and treat disease, and more.
The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program is operated by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing the science of chemistry and chemical engineering to improve human relations and circumstances throughout the world.