Shuya Wei

Dr. Shuya Wei is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of New Mexico (UNM). She holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University (2017) and a B.Eng. in Bioengineering from Nanyang Technological University (2013). Her research focuses on advancing electrochemical energy storage technologies, including next-generation batteries for energy and environmental applications. Key areas include developing high-energy batteries using earth-abundant materials, carbon capture through electrochemical processes, and nanomaterials design.

Education:

• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Cornell University, 2017
• B.Eng., Bioengineering, Nanyang Technological University, 2013

Research Interests:

• Electrochemical fundamentals and interfaces
• Rechargeable batteries (e.g., Li-CO₂, Al-CO₂, iron batteries)
• Carbon capture and conversion via electrochemical systems
• Design of nanocomposites and biomaterials for energy storage

Notable Awards:

• Materials Research Society (MRS) Graduate Student Silver Award (2017)
• UNM Women in STEM Awards (2022)
• NASA MPLAN Prize (2024)
• NSF EPSCoR Track 2 Funding (2021)

Advising & Grants:

• Advises graduate students (e.g., Chris Fetrow, Jianda Wang) and postdocs (e.g., Raju Vadthya).
• Secured grants including NSF awards for electrochemical methane conversion and carbon dioxide management.

Lab Activities: The Wei Lab at UNM emphasizes interdisciplinary research, with projects like developing low-cost chemical waste batteries and optimizing porous zinc anodes. Recent achievements include breakthroughs in aluminum-CO₂ batteries and gel polymer electrolytes for sodium-sulfur systems.