Yu Huang

Dr. Yu Huang is the Traugott and Dorothea Frederking Endowed Chair in Engineering and Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She earned her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Harvard University and completed a joint postdoctoral fellowship with Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Lawrence Fellow.

• Research focuses on nanoscale materials for electrocatalysis, hydrogen fuel cells, and quantum electronics.
• Active in advancing sustainable energy solutions through nanotechnology and materials science.

Her group explores the unique properties of nanoscale materials to address challenges in catalysis, energy storage, and biomedical applications. Recent work includes breakthroughs in green hydrogen production, microbial fuel cells, and CO2 reduction.

Scientific awards include:

• ENI Energy Transition Award (2023)
• ISE Prize for Experimental Electrochemistry
• IPMI Carol Tyler Award
• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2016–2023)
• Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE)
• DARPA Young Faculty Award
• Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Fellow

Grants and sponsorships include the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Health (NIH), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Semiconductor Research Corporation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Her research group has produced notable alumni working in academia (e.g., Hunan University, Tsinghua University) and industry (e.g., Apple, Intel, Amazon).