Centre Spotlight | Farewell to Dr Jiaxin Li

This week, we congratulate and farewell Dr Jiaxin Li as she embarks on an exciting new chapter, taking up a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Cambridge.

During her time with COE-CSI since she joined in Jan 2025, Dr Li has investigated how pore structures, oxygen-containing functional groups, and surface electronic properties influence electrochemical performance. Her work has also explored sustainable approaches to converting plastic waste into functional porous carbon materials, with potential applications in noble-metal recovery, batteries and electrocatalysis. Using molten salt-assisted carbon synthesis, Dr Li has developed tailored porous carbon materials that support a deeper understanding of the links between carbon structure and chemical or electrochemical performance.

Reflecting on her time at COE-CSI, Dr Li shared, “CSI has been an excellent platform for collaboration. Through the Centre, I have met many outstanding postdoctoral researchers and colleagues with different expertise. My own strength is in the synthesis and structural design of porous carbon materials, while many colleagues at CSI focus on different applications. I was able to collaborate with Dr Fei Li, who has strong expertise in noble metal recovery, as well as Dr Yan Li and Dr Devesh Kumar Singh, who have experience in electrocatalysis. These collaborations allowed me to quickly evaluate my carbon materials in different application areas and understand their properties from new perspectives.”

Dr Li will focus on structurally defined porous carbon-based materials for electrochemical CO₂ capture, including investigating carbon-capture mechanisms using advanced analytical techniques. Thank you, Dr Li, for your valuable contributions to the Centre. We wish you every success for the fellowship and beyond.