PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR

Biography

Houqian Li received his B.S. in Chemistry at Nankai University, Tianjin, in 2016. During his undergraduate, he worked with Prof. Liangfu Tang in the area of organic chemistry and Prof. Jinlong Gong studying steam reforming of ethanol over supported catalysts. Houqian completed his Ph.D. in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Yong Wang. In his graduate studies, Houqian focused on the synthesis, characterization, spectroscopy, and kinetics of C-C coupling and self-deoxygenation reactions over metal oxides to understand the reaction mechanisms and site requirements. He then completed a postdoctoral stay in Prof. George W. Huber's research group, where he developed technologies for recycling and upcycling waste plastics. His work included the characterization of complex species, the development of quantitative kinetic models, and the design of (non)catalytic processes relevant to plastics upcycling. Houqian started his independent career in Spring 2025. His research group designs and develops sustainable technologies for waste valorization, combining molecular- and system-level perspectives.

Apart from research and teaching, Houqian enjoys spending time with family, playing the violin, reading, skiing, snowboarding, and playing sports like golf, tennis, and badminton.