Aisulu Aitbekova

Aisulu Aitbekova is an upcoming Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), joining in August 2025. Currently, she is a Kavli Nanoscience Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a member of the Liquid Sunlight Alliance Energy Innovation Hub. Her research focuses on catalytic processes for sustainable fuels and chemicals, emphasizing cross-scale innovations from nanoscale materials to macroscale processes.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Stanford University (2021)
• MS in Chemical Engineering Practice, MIT (2016)
• BS in Chemical Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan (2015)

Research Interests: Aitbekova’s work spans catalyst design, photocatalytic processes, and sustainable energy systems. She develops photo-thermochemical catalytic methods to synergize photochemical and thermocatalytic effects, targeting fuels and chemicals production from CO₂ and biomass. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates nanomaterials, surface science, and reactor engineering to decarbonize the chemical industry.

Research Trends: Her articles emphasize CO₂ conversion, photocatalytic fuel synthesis, and catalyst stability. Key themes include sustainable reactor design, molecular additive engineering for selectivity control, and high-temperature catalyst encapsulation.

Awards:

• Kavli Nanoscience Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship

Advising & Labs: Aitbekova leads the Aitbekova Group at CMU, recruiting graduate/undergraduate students in chemical engineering, materials science, and related fields. The group focuses on scaling catalytic innovations across multiple length scales.

Labs/Teams: The Aitbekova Group collaborates on reactor engineering, nanomaterial synthesis, and sustainable process design through interdisciplinary partnerships.