Qiyuan Li

Dr. Qiyuan Li is a Lecturer in the Particle and Catalysis Research Group at the School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW. His research focuses on solar-powered catalytic systems for water treatment, hydrogen production, and CO2 utilization. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UNSW (2016) and has worked at the UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology (2016–2019). Dr. Li has supervised/co-supervised 3 PhD students and over 20 undergraduate/master students, and currently co-supervises 2 PhD candidates and 1 Taste of Research student.

His publications span 40+ journal papers, 3 book chapters, and 10 conference papers in areas like Energy & Environmental Science and Water Research. He co-invented 3 Chinese patents and 1 European patent. Awards include the UNSW Student Innovator of the Year (2014) and Early Stage Innovation Awards (2014). His teaching roles include guest lectures in Energy Storage and Design courses, and supervision of engineering projects like the 'Sun to H2O' initiative.

Research interests include solar-driven hydrogen systems, waste biomass valorization, and sustainable membrane technologies. He leads projects on renewable energy integration and circular economy solutions for photovoltaic recycling. Current grants include a AU$1.8M UNSW Infrastructure grant for renewable energy demonstration and a AU$1M EPA grant for silicon PV panel recycling.

• Grants: NSW Evaporative Cooling Roadmap (2023), Circular Solar Trials (2022–2025)
• Lab Activities: PartCat Research Group, focusing on catalytic modules and solar systems
• Future Work: Scaling solar reforming, CO2 capture systems, and waste-to-hydrogen technologies