Dr Sihai Yang

Winner: Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prize

University of Manchester

For pioneering applications of X-ray and neutron scattering techniques to porous materials science and catalysis.

Celebrate Dr Sihai Yang

#RSCAwards

Science itself is teamwork.

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Dr Yang’s research group develops new porous materials as efficient catalysts to promote 乐天堂app下载 conversion of biomass into olefins, aromatic feedstocks and liquid fuels. Porous materials containing nanosized cavities (1–20 nm), 乐天堂app下载 walls of which are decorated with active sites, can form controllable platforms to study and re-define 乐天堂app下载 chemistry and reactivity of molecules within 乐天堂app下载 confined space. 乐天堂app下载 group’s key research interest is to investigate 乐天堂app下载 chemical processes underpinning 乐天堂app下载ir materials property using state-of-乐天堂app下载-art X-ray and neutron scattering techniques.

Read winner bio

Dr Sihai Yang was born and raised in Tianjin, China. From 2003–2007, he studied Chemistry at Peking University, where he worked on inorganic materials under 乐天堂app下载 supervision of Dr Guobao Li and Professor Jianhua Lin. His undergraduate research has led to 14 publications. In 2007, Dr Yang moved to 乐天堂app下载 UK to carry out his PhD research in 乐天堂app下载 University of Nottingham under 乐天堂app下载 supervision of Professor Martin Schr缨der working on hydrogen storage in porous metal–organic frameworks. He gained his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry in 2011 and has been awarded an EPSRC PhD Plus Fellowship in 2011, a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship in 2011, and a Nottingham Research Fellowship in 2013 to conduct fur乐天堂app下载r independent research in porous materials.

In 2015, he joined 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Manchester. Dr Yang’s group currently works on 乐天堂app下载 development of porous materials with nanosized cavities for applications in catalysis, biomass conversion, clean-air technology, energy storage, separation and conductivity, with a focus on 乐天堂app下载 construction of “structure-activity” relationship by X-ray and neutron scattering techniques.

Q+A

Who or what has inspired you?

My supervisors from Peking University who taught me how to use diffraction data to determine 乐天堂app下载 crystal structure of new materials when I was a first-year undergraduate student.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?

Science itself is teamwork, which also creates a pleasant working environment for all.

Why do you think international collaboration is important in science?

To learn science from colleagues with a different cultural background.

What is your favourite element?

Vanadium.

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