Georgiy Akopov

Georgiy Akopov is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Rutgers University. His research focuses on solid-state chemistry, particularly the synthesis and application of intermetallic compounds for catalysis, magnetism, thermoelectrics, and non-linear optical materials. He leads the Akopov Lab, exploring novel synthesis methods for complex materials and their applications in photocatalysis, electrocatalysis (e.g., hydrogen evolution reactions), and superhard materials.

Education:

• B.A. in Chemistry, Rutgers University, Newark (2014)
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (2018)
• Postdoctoral Fellowships: Iowa State University (2018–2019) and Ames National Lab (2019–2022)

Research Highlights:

• Developing non-centrosymmetric chalcogenides with tunable magnetic/optical properties.
• Investigating halide perovskites for photocatalytic applications.
• Engineering superhard tungsten borides via solid-state reactions.

Awards & Honors:

• Spedding Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019)
• ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigator Award (2018)
• Inorganic Chemistry Dissertation Award (UCLA, 2018)

Labs & Teams: The Akopov Lab at Rutgers University specializes in crystal chemistry engineering, with a focus on fluorescence, catalysis, and hardness. Openings exist for graduate and undergraduate students.