Rate My Professor Li Yang

Professor Li Yang is Associate Dean for Research and Impact at the School of Science and Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Materials Science at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, where she also directs the Advanced Materials Research Center. She joined the university in 2013 as a lecturer, advancing to associate professor in 2016, senior associate professor in 2018, and full professor in 2022. Previously, she served as Higher Research Scientist at the UK's National Physical Laboratory from 2007 to 2013 and as an engineer at Guangdong Kelon Electrical Holding Co. Ltd from 2000 to 2001. Li Yang holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Bristol (2008), funded by the Overseas Research Scholarship Award and other scholarships, an MSc in Materials Science (2004) and BSc in Materials Engineering (2000), both from Central South University in China.

Her research focuses on developing diverse nanomaterials to explore their electronic, photonic, electrochemical, mechanical, and interfacial properties for energy conversion/storage, molecular electronics, and environmental applications. Specific interests include molecular electronics and single-molecule dynamics, advanced energy storage materials, and multi-scale surfaces/interfaces. She has published over 120 SCI papers and 5 book chapters as first or corresponding author, supervised 9 PhDs and 12 MRes students, and delivered many international talks. Notable recent works are 'Confined Ion Regulation via Synergy of Porosity and Acidity in Molecular Sieves for Lithium-Metal Batteries' (Advanced Functional Materials, 2026) and 'Enhancing Anode-Free Lithium Metal Batteries: A Lightweight MPTS-MXene Current Collector for Superior Performance and Energy Density' (Energy and Environmental Materials, 2026). Li Yang has earned awards such as Suzhou SEID Excellent Scientific and Education Talent (2021), Jiangsu 333 Project (2018), Jiangsu Six-Peak Talent (2014), and Chartered Physicist (Institute of Physics, UK, 2013). As principal investigator, she has secured NSFC grants (2017, 2015), Suzhou and Jiangsu tech grants, XJTLU funds, and UK NPL grants.