Wennie Wang

Wennie Wang is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, affiliated with the Allen J. Bard Center for Electrochemistry and the Texas Materials Institute. Her research focuses on computational engineering of optoelectronic materials for energy sustainability applications, particularly in catalysis, energy conversion, and next-generation computing. She utilizes first-principles methods to study defects in materials and their impacts on electronic/optical properties.

Education:

• Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Chicago (2018-2021)
• Ph.D., Computational Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara (2018)
• B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2013)

Research Interests:

Her interdisciplinary work integrates chemical engineering, materials science, and solid-state physics to design novel materials for sustainable energy technologies. Current projects include transition metal oxide electrocatalysts, semiconductor-aqueous interfaces, and low-dimensional computing materials. She emphasizes defect engineering and computational-experimental synergies.

Publications:

Recent work includes studies on BiVO4 surface energetics, MoS2 heterojunctions, and WO3 electrochromism. Her articles frequently address defect dynamics, surface chemistry, and computational modeling in energy materials.

Awards:

• Maria Goeppert Mayer Award (APS, 2025)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2014)
• Multiple MRS and APS recognition for student contributions

Labs/Teams:

She leads the Wang Materials Group, fostering a diverse environment through weekly meetings and collaborative projects. Affiliations include the Oden Institute and MRSEC.