THE
WANG GROUP
Quantum Chemistry for Materials Science
News
March 20, 2024
Xiao was awarded the Hellman Fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year.
January 30, 2024
Exciton Transfer Between Extended Electronic States in Conjugated Inter-Polyelectrolyte Complexes, a fun collaboration paper with the Ayzner group on conjugated polyelectrolyte complexes, is published on ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces.
January 23, 2024
Anna Luu joined our group as an undergraduate researcher. She is a senior undergraduate student in UCSC Chemistry. Welcome Anna!
October 13, 2023
Our first collaboration paper with the Yat Li group is published on ACS Energy Lett. This work discovers cool effects of BF4- to promote electrolytic Zn//MnO2 batteries. Congrats to everyone!
September 28, 2023
We are pleased to welcome Jorge Ruiz Gonzalez to our group! Jorge studied pure and applied mathematics in college, with a minor in chemistry! He worked as a Learning Skills Advisor at UCSC before joining us. Welcome, Jorge!
June 16, 2023
Lakota graduated with a well-deserved bachelor's degree. Congratulations, Lakota, on this extraordinary milestone and best wishes for your future endeavors!
April 18, 2023
Lakota is featured in Student Spotlights in the Spring 2023 Chemistry & Biochemistry Advising Newsletter. Way to go!
March 7, 2023
Karim showcased his research in the Winter quarter rotation lightning talks. Over the past two quarters, he has made significant progress and even established a collaboration. Excellent job, Karim!
February 15, 2023
Introducing Dr. Zhen Liu, our first postdoctoral fellow! Zhen joins our group after completing his PhD (last week) at Kansas State University, where he worked in the Aikens group. Welcome, Zhen!
December 9, 2022
Anthony left the group after the Fall Quarter Rotation. We extend our best wishes to him!
October 20, 2022
Welcome to our new group member, Anthony Nguyen! Anthony is a first-year Ph.D. student and he received his B.S. in Psychology and Chemistry at Portland State University.
October 13, 2022
Lakota Amore joined our group as an undergraduate researcher. He is a senior undergraduate student in UCSC Chemistry. Welcome Lakota!
Research
We are a theory group driven by intriguing phenomena in materials science. We develop and apply quantum-mechanical methods to study problems in surface chemistry, molecular crystals, and strong light-matter interaction.
Surface Chemistry
We study chemical phenomena that occur on surfaces using computational tools. Leveraging the locality of active sites, we aim to develop efficient methods to elucidate surface reaction mechanisms and accelerate catalyst discovery.
Molecular Crystals
Molecular crystals consist of discrete molecules held together by weak, non-bonded interactions, which make their simulations challenging. We study their chemical and physical properties with reliable computational tools for applications in drug development, organic semiconductors, and photovoltaics.
Strong Light-Matter Interaction
Strong interaction between matter and confined light results in the formation of half-light half-matter states called polaritons, creating new routes to control chemical reactions. We are interested in studying cavity-modified chemistry of organic molecules, investigating low-dimensional materials in cavities, and developing multicomponent quantum chemistry methods for polaritons.
Members
Xiao Wang
Assistant Professor
Research Fellow, Flatiron Institute ('19-'22)
Postdoc, Virginia Tech ('16-'18)
PhD, University of Georgia ('16)
BS, Beihang University ('12)
Zhen Liu
Postdoctoral Researcher
PhD, Kansas State University ('23)
BS, Dalian University ('16)
Alumni
Anthony Nguyen
Rotation Student (2022)
Now graduate student @ UCSC, Holman group
Lakota Amore
Undergraduate Student (2022-2023)
J O I N U S
Contact
University of California, Santa Cruz
Chemistry and Biochemistry Department
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Our team is looking for postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students who are passionate about theoretical and computational chemistry.
We are committed to building an inclusive environment and we welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds. Email Xiao for more information if you are interested in our team.
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