Welcome to My Website
Thank you for visiting! I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at Northwestern University, conducting research under the supervision of Prof. Scott A. Barnett. My research primarily focuses on understanding and engineering the surface properties to develop highly active and stable electrochemical catalysts, including electrode materials for solid oxide fuel cells and electrolyzers, as well as thermochemical catalysts for related applications.
E-mail: sunghyun.jeon@northwestern.edu / sunghyun88@snu.ac.kr
Mobile: +82-10-4240-8898 (KOR) / +1-(773) 865-5412 (USA)
Google Scholar (Link) / LinkedIn (Link) / ORCID: 0000-0003-2472-4436
Professional Appointment
2025.08. - Present
Postdoctoral Visiting Scholar, Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, Northwestern University (Advisor: Prof. Scott A. Barnett)
2024.09. - 2025.08
Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Institute of Advanced Materials, Seoul National University (Advisor: Prof. WooChul Jung)
2023.08. - 2023.12.
Predoctoral Visiting Scholar, Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, Northwestern University
Education
2021.03. - 2024.08.
Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) (Advisor: Prof. WooChul Jung)
Thesis title: Promoting Reactivity/Stability of Perovskite Oxide Electrodes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell via Advanced Nanocatalyst Formation and Atomic Layer Deposition
2019.03. - 2021.02.
M.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) (Advisor: Prof. WooChul Jung)
Thesis title: Robust and reactive solid oxide fuel cell cathode achieved through metal-oxide nanocomposite deposition
2013.03. - 2019.02.
B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech) (Advisor: Prof. Young-In Lee)
GPA: 4.31/4.5, Summa Cum Laude
Fellowships, Awards, and Honors
[Fellowships]
2025.09. - present
Sejong Science Fellowship (Postdoctoral Fellowship, International Research Track), National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)
⦁ Project title: Atomic-scale Deposition of Multifunctional Oxides for Concurrently Enhanced Performance, Durability, and Real-Time Regeneration of Solid Oxide Cell Air Electrodes
⦁ Funding: 70 million KRW / year
2024.09. - 2025.08.
Nurturing Next-generation Researchers Program (Postdoctoral Fellowship, Domestic Track), National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)
⦁ Project title: Real-Time Enhancement of Activity/Stability and Degradation Recovery of Solid Oxide Cell Electrodes through Simultaneous Ex-solution and Surface Amorphization
⦁ Funding: 60 million KRW / year
2023.08. - 2023.12.
Global Alliance Program (Predoctoral Scholarship for International Visiting Student), KAIST
⦁ Host Insitution: Northwestern University, U.S.
[Awards and Honors]
BK21 FOUR Excellent Research Prize, KAIST (2024.01.16.)
Excellent Paper Award, International Symposium of GRDC and GHUB (2023.11.20.)
*GRDC: Global Research and Development Centers / GHUB: Global HUB Centers
Excellent Poster Presentation, 2022 Fall Meeting of The Korean Ceramic Society (2022.10.28.)
Excellent Poster Presentation, 2020 Fall Meeting of The Korean Ceramic Society (2020.07.10.)
Excellent Safety Culture Campaign Prize, KAIST (2019.05.13)
Research Interests
High- and low-temperature electrochemical cells (e.g., SOFC/ECs, PCFC/ECs, PEMFC/ECs)
Nanocatalyst deposition (infiltration, ex-solution) & surface/interface engineering (atomic layer deposition (ALD))
Strong metal-support interaction and its applications
Quantitative analysis of nanocatalyst-integrated perovskites