Mercouri Kanatzidis

Mercouri Kanatzidis is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, with a joint appointment at Argonne National Laboratory. His research spans multiple cutting-edge areas of materials science and solid-state chemistry.

His research interests focus on inorganic chemistry, solid state and coordination chemistry of chalcogenide and halide compounds, with emphasis on the design of new materials through exploratory synthesis. His work particularly targets thermoelectric materials, nanostructured materials, intermetallics, and applications for solar energy conversion, radiation detection, heat-to-electrical conversion, and nuclear and environmental remediation.

Kanatzidis's recent publications reveal a strong focus on perovskite materials for radiation detection and solar cells, thermoelectric materials, and chalcogenide chemistry. His group has made significant advances in understanding the fundamental properties of these materials while developing practical applications. His work on CsPbBr3 perovskite detectors has demonstrated exceptional performance for X-ray and gamma-ray detection, while his thermoelectric research has led to materials with record-high efficiency.

• Centenary Prize, 2023, the Royal Chemical Society
• Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2023
• Global Energy Prize, 2022
• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher since 2015
• National Academy of Sciences election, 2024
• DOE Ten at Ten Award for perovskite solar cell work, 2019
• ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry, 2016
• MRS Medal, 2014

Professor Kanatzidis has mentored over 95 Ph.D. students and nearly 130 postdoctoral fellows throughout his career. His group maintains active collaborations with multiple research centers including Argonne National Laboratory, the Trienens Institute, and research groups led by Dravid, Seidman, Wessels, Wolverton, Mohite, and Chabinyc. His laboratory is equipped with extensive facilities for materials synthesis and characterization, including multiple gloveboxes, X-ray diffractometers, thermal analysis equipment, and specialized furnaces for crystal growth.