ZhengRong Gu

ZhengRong Gu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University (SDSU). He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois-Urbana and a postdoctoral background in Microbiology. His research focuses on renewable carbon materials, bioseparation technologies, and electrochemical energy storage systems. Gu’s work integrates advanced material synthesis (e.g., nitrogen-doped graphene from DDGS) with applications in supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries, and biosensors.

Education:

• B.S., M.S. in Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology
• M.S., Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois-Urbana
• Postdoctoral Research, Microbiology, University of Illinois

Research Interests:

• Scalable biorenewable graphene synthesis
• Bioseparation for biopharmaceuticals and biofuel processing
• Electrochemical sensors for pathogens and environmental contaminants
• Catalysts for biorefinery and lignin conversion
• Water purification via capacitive deionization and photocatalysis

Awards:

• Gamma Sigma Delta Award of Research (2020)
• College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences Outstanding Researcher (2016)

Grants & Labs:

• Lead PI for NSF MRI-funded TEM facility ($1.2M)
• Projects on biochar lifecycle impacts, graphene-based sensors, and plasma-activated carbon
• Co-PI for NASA-EPSCoR’s bioelectrochemical module for space exploration ($750K)

Labs/Teams:

• ABE department labs focusing on biorenewable materials and electrochemical systems
• Collaborations with industry (e.g., GE-Lifescience) and federal agencies (USDA, NASA)