Jesús M. Velázquez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis, where he joined the faculty in 2016. He holds additional affiliations with the graduate programs in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and the Energy Graduate Group. Velázquez earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University at Buffalo, SUNY, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. His early research during graduate and postdoctoral training focused on nanomaterials, vanadium oxide nanowires, and electrocatalytic processes.

Velázquez's research specializes in the design, synthesis, and characterization of nanostructured materials, particularly metal chalcogenides like MoS₂, MoSe₂, and Chevrel phases (Mo₆S₈), for applications in nanoelectronics, electrochemical energy conversion, and environmental remediation. Key advancements include macroporous MoSe₂ films for hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalysis, MoS₂ electrodes enabling CO₂ reduction to 1-propanol in aqueous media, pH-dependent studies on MoS₂ and MoSe₂ for hydrogen evolution, and materials for removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and crude oil from water. Representative publications are 'Operando Synthesis of Macroporous Molybdenum Diselenide Films for Electrocatalysis of the Hydrogen-Evolution Reaction' (ACS Catalysis, 2014), 'Reduction of Aqueous CO₂ to 1-Propanol at MoS₂ Electrodes' (Chemistry of Materials, 2018), 'Finite size effects on the structural progression induced by lithiation of V₂O₅' (Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2013), and 'Comparative Study in Acidic and Alkaline Media of the Effects of pH and Crystallinity on the Hydrogen-Evolution Reaction on MoS₂ and MoSe₂' (ACS Energy Letters, 2017). His scholarship has earned the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Chemistry, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, C&EN Talented 12 recognition (2021), Cottrell Scholar Award (2020), RCSA Bridge to Transformative Research Award (2026), CAMPOS Faculty Scholar Award (2016-2017), and NASEM-Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. Velázquez serves as Vice Chair for Safety, Space, and Infrastructure in the Chemistry Department, mentors students from underrepresented backgrounds, and was a faculty speaker at the 2025 commencement.

Professional Email: jevelazquez@ucdavis.edu