Emily Tsui

Emily Tsui is an Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Her research bridges bioinorganic, organometallic, and nanomaterials chemistry to design catalysts for energy storage, chemical synthesis, and materials science. She joined Notre Dame in 2017 after postdoctoral work at the University of Washington.

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, California Institute of Technology (2014)
• B.S. in Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2008)

Her group investigates chalcogen redox chemistry and quantum dot surface chemistry, focusing on structural motifs from biological enzymes and heterogeneous catalysts. Recent work includes polysulfur speciation, ligand displacement dynamics, and electron transfer mechanisms at nanocrystal surfaces. Articles appear in JACS, Chemical Science, and Inorganic Chemistry, highlighting collaborations with researchers like Kasuni Handunge and Wyatt Balliew.

• 2021 NSF CAREER Award
• 2019 Scialog Fellow
• 2014 ACS Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigator

She mentors graduate students including Madeline Riffel and Mawuli Degbevi, and contributes to outreach via Notre Dame’s Science Alive! program. Her group also develops interactive Tanabe-Sugano diagrams and nanocrystal sizing tools for educational use.