Rate My Professor Chris Ling

Professor Chris Ling is the Professor of Solid-state Chemistry in the School of Chemistry within the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney, where he has been since 2018. He progressed through the ranks at Sydney, serving as Associate Professor from 2012 to 2017, Senior Lecturer from 2008 to 2011, and Lecturer from 2004 to 2007. Before joining the University of Sydney, Ling held positions as Physicist in the Diffraction Group at the Institut Laue-Langevin in France (2001-2004) and Postdoctoral Fellow in the Materials Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory, USA (1999-2001). He obtained his PhD from the Research School of Chemistry at the Australian National University (1996-1999), BSc with First Class Honours from the Australian National University (1995), and BSc from the University of Melbourne (1992-1994).

In addition to his academic role, Professor Ling serves as Deputy Director of the Sydney Analytical Core Research Facility and is a member of The Net Zero Institute and the University of Sydney Nano Institute. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and chairs the IUCr Commission on Inorganic and Mineral Structures, while also serving on the National Committee for Crystallography of the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Synchrotron BRIGHT Scientific Advisory Committee. His research in solid-state materials chemistry centers on the discovery, characterisation, and optimisation of functional materials for energy applications and advanced electronics, employing neutron and synchrotron techniques, electron microscopy, and computational modelling. Key interests include solid-state ionic conductors for fuel cells and batteries, frustrated and complex magnetism, multiferroics, and photocatalysts. Leading the Ling Group, he directs ARC-funded projects such as the development of rare earth-free high-performance magnets (ARC DP230100558), hybrid materials for next-generation lithium batteries (ARC DP200100959), and layered oxide photocatalysts for solar energy capture (ARC DP190101862). Ling has produced 178 peer-reviewed publications amassing over 3,782 citations and has received prestigious awards including the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2018-19), SOAR Fellowship from the University of Sydney (2017-18), Neutron Award from the Australian Neutron Beam Users Group (2017), and the Faculty of Science Outstanding Teaching and Research Award (2017).