Principal Investigator
Professor Xiao Su
(CV)
Office Number: RAL-107 // E-mail: x2su@illinois.edu
Xiao Su is an Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He obtained his Bachelor in Applied Sciences in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2011. He completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT in 2017, working under the supervision of Professor T. Alan Hatton from Chemical Engineering and Professor Timothy F. Jamison from Chemistry. During his doctoral studies, Xiao received the MIT Water Innovation Prize and the MassCEC Catalyst Award for his work on electrochemically-mediated water purification. Since joining Illinois, Xiao has been the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (2019), the ACS Victor K. Lamer Award (2020), the ISE-Elsevier Prize for Green Electrochemistry (2021), the ACS Unilever Award (2023), and the AIChE FRI/John G. Kunesh Award (2023). His research focuses on molecular engineering for advanced separations and process intensification.
Group Members
Johannes Elbert
Research Scientist
Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: jelbert@illinois.edu
Johannes Elbert obtained his bachelor and master’s degree in chemistry from the Technische Universität Darmstadt. During this time, he spent 10 months in the group of Prof. Ian Manners in the at the University of Bristol. He completed his PhD in 2015 (Dr. rer. nat.) at the Technische Universität Darmstadt, under the supervision of Dr. Markus Gallei and Prof. Matthias Rehahn, with a thesis on immobilized ferrocene containing polymers. He then worked at the group of Alan T. Hatton at MIT, on electrochemical water purification, and the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena on redox-flow batteries. His research is focused on developing new redox active materials.
Wangsuk Oh
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: wangsuk5@illinois.edu
Wangsuk Oh received his BS in Chemistry in 2014 and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Ji-Woong Park at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST). His doctoral work focused on the synthesis of nanoporous membranes from covalent network polymers and their application to membrane-based flow biocatalysis. His research interest in the Su group is on the polymer synthesis for electrochemically-mediated systems along with fundamental understanding of the structure-property relationship.
Shao-Wei Tsai
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: swtsai@illinois.edu
Shao-Wei received his BS in Medical Laboratory and Biotechnology at Taipei Medical University. He received his MS and PhD degree in Microbiology and Environmental Engineering, respectively, at National Taiwan University (NTU). His doctoral work focused on selective nitrogen separation systems for nutrient recovery under the supervision of Prof. Chia-Hung Hou. He also worked on electrical regeneration of ion-exchange technology with Prof. Ashok Gadgil at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2018. His research interest in the Su group is on electrochemically-mediated nutrient upcycling.
Yuri Giovane Kappenberg
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Office Number: RAL-7 // E-mail: yurigk@illinois.edu
Yuri received his BS in Chemistry at the Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC) in 2016. He received his MS and PhD in Organic Chemistry at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) under the supervision of Prof. Helio G. Bonacorso. His doctoral work focused on the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds and their biological and photophysical evaluation. His research interests in the Su group are in developing redox polymers for small molecule separation.
Hee-Eun Kim
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: kheeeun@illinois.edu
Hee-Eun Kim received her BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Yonsei University in South Korea. She received her MS and PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) under the supervision of Prof. Hyunjoo Lee. Her doctoral thesis focused on heterogeneous electrocatalysis and application for energy devices. Her current research interest in the Su group is in the selective separation of critical elements.
Devashish Gokhale
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: dgokhale@illinois.edu Devashish received his BTech (Hons) in Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) in 2019. He received his MS (Chemical Engineering Practice, 2022) and PhD (Chemical Engineering, 2024) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he worked with Prof. Pat Doyle. His doctoral work focused on the development of novel hydrogel materials for the sequestration and destruction of micropollutants in water, also aiming at the commercial application of this technology. His current research interest in the Su group is the development of photoelectrochemical methods for water treatment and industrial separations. Junghyun Kim Postdoctoral Research Associate Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: ajakek@illinois.edu Junghyun Kim received his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Korea University and the University of Technology, Sydney. His doctoral research focused on developing membrane contactors for next-generation carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) systems and utilizing membrane distillation for shale gas water treatment. His current research interest in the Su group is advancing sustainable solutions for the selective separations of rare earth elements. Deborah Schmitt Postdoctoral Research Associate Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: sdeborah@illinois.edu Deborah Schmitt received her BS (2018) and MS (2020) degrees in Chemistry with a focus on polymer synthesis from the Technical University Darmstadt, Germany. She received her doctoral degree (Dr. rer. nat.) from the Saarland University under the supervision of Prof. Markus Gallei (2024). Her thesis topic was the functionalization of surfaces with ferrocene containing molecules and polymers for the preparation of redox responsive materials. Deborah’s research interests in the Su group are the development of new organic and polymeric redox active materials for selective separations. Tsai-Hsuan Chen Postdoctoral Research Associate Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: tc81@illinois.edu Tsai-Hsuan received her B.S. in Environmental Engineering from National Cheng Kung University, and earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from National Taiwan University, under the supervision of Prof. Chia-Hung Hou. Her research focuses on advancing electrochemical and membrane separation technologies—such as redox-mediated electrodialysis and membrane distillation—and developing tailored water treatment solutions for environmental applications, including wastewater reclamation and seawater desalination. Currently, her research centers on the removal of PFAS through electro-membrane separation processes in the Su group. PhD Candidate, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: candeago@illinois.edu PhD Candidate, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: darienr2@illinois.edu Anaira Roman Santiago PhD Candidate, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: anairar2@illinois.edu Anaira graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez in 2020, obtaining her B.S in Chemical Engineering. She conducted research in the transport and destination of contaminants in groundwater with Dr. Ingrid Padilla, and synthesis of metal organic frameworks wastewater treatment with Dr. Hernández-Rivera. She participated in the NSF REU program at the University of South Carolina in graphene oxide membranes for water treatment, and at the University of Florida in wind speed up with Dr. Forrest Masters. Her current research interests focus on developing effective electrochemical systems for water decontamination and environmental applications. PhD Candidate, Material Science and Engineering Office Number: RAL-7 // E-mail: jh76@illinois.edu PhD Candidate, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: chchung3@illinois.edu PhD Candidate, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: cc109@illinois.edu PhD Candidate, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: faniyan2@illinois.edu PhD Student, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (co-advised by Prof. Mohan Sankaran) Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: fzb2@illinois.edu PhD Student, Materials Science and Engineering Office Number: RAL-7 // E-mail: hyunjae2@illinois.edu PhD Student, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: eharbut2@illinois.edu PhD Student, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: jbseo2@illinois.edu PhD Student, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Office Number: RAL-105 // E-mail: simwoob2@illinois.edu Shihyun Park Academic Year: Senior Graduation Date: May 2024 Research Period: Feb 2023 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Nidhish Lella Academic Year: Sophomore Graduation Date: May 2025 Research Period: Feb 2024 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Jiyan H. Cen Academic Year: Senior Graduation Date: Dec 2024 Research Period: Mar 2024 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Giovanny Dominguez Academic Year: Junior Graduation Date: May 2026 Research Period: May 2024 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Mitchell Rutishauser Academic Year: Senior Graduation Date: May 2025 Research Period: Aug 2024 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Wolfgang Trier Academic Year: Sophomore Graduation Date: Fall 2027 Research Period: Aug 2024 – Major: Materials Engineering; Chemistry Alyssa Maranan Academic Year: Sophomore Graduation Date: May 2027 Research Period: Aug 2024 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Richard Michael, Nong Academic Year: Sophomore Graduation Date: May 2027 Research Period: Aug 2024 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Zheming (Leo) Hu Academic Year: Junior Graduation Date: 2026 Research Period: Sep 2024 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Jusun Ahn Academic Year: Senior Graduation Date: Dec 2025 Research Period: Jan 2025 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Justine Loretta, Seelbach Academic Year: Sophomore Graduation Date: May 2025 Research Period: Jan 2025 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Hexi Huang Academic Year: Junior Graduation Date: May 2026 Research Period: Jan 2025 – Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Andros Gao Academic Year: Freshman Graduation Date: May 2028 Research Period: Jan 2025 – Major: Chemistry
Riccardo Candeago
Darien Raymond
Undergraduate Researchers
