Wendy Lee Queen

Wendy Lee Queen is a materials chemist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL), where she has led groundbreaking research since 2015. Her work focuses on combining metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with polymers to create composites capable of capturing molecules from air and water, with applications in environmental cleanup and metal extraction. Born in Anderson, South Carolina, Queen earned her PhD from Clemson University and completed postdoctoral work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under the mentorship of Jeffrey R. Long.

• Age: 39
• Hometown: Anderson, South Carolina
• PhD alma mater: Clemson University

Queen’s research leverages MOFs—jungle gym-like structures with high surface areas—to address challenges in gas separation, water purification, and critical metal recovery. Her team has developed composites that selectively remove toxic ions like mercury and lead from water and extract gold from electronic waste, achieving nearly 1:1 efficiency. She aims to commercialize these materials by creating filter cartridges using MOF-polymer beads.

Personal interests: An avid baseball player in Swiss leagues, Queen humorously notes she would have pursued a career as a baseball coach or player if not for chemistry. She identifies with carbon’s transformative properties, likening her career to a “diamond in the rough” shaped by perseverance.