Centre Spotlight: Dr Jeffrey Zheng

Dr Jeffrey Zheng is a researcher in the School of Chemistry UNSW and a member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation.

Dr Zheng’s research sits at the intersection of materials chemistry, electrocatalysis and advanced microscopy. His work focuses on intentionally controlling atoms to build sub-nano clusters and single-atom catalysts for efficient electrocatalytic reactions. In simple terms, he works on guiding atomic behaviour to design better catalytic materials for the future of energy conversion and storage.

Dr Zheng received his Master of Engineering degree in Materials Science and Engineering from UNSW in 2021, where his research focused on metal oxide nanostructures and heterojunctions for electrocatalysis and pseudocapacitor applications. He later pursued his PhD in the same research group, specialising in advanced disordered and high-entropy metal oxide cathode materials for next-generation energy storage systems, including sodium-ion and zinc-air batteries.

He is now a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Chemistry at UNSW, working with hashtag#CoECSI Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre (MWAC), Prof Richard Tilley. His current research focuses on the design and engineering of metal nanocrystal-decorated carbon materials for electrocatalytic applications, with an emphasis on advanced electron microscopy characterisation techniques.

A key part of Dr Zheng’s work involves advanced transmission electron microscopy, including aberration-corrected AC-TEM, which allows him to “spy” on atoms at extremely high resolution. By understanding their structure, behaviour, and arrangement, he can design catalysts with atomic-level precision.

For Dr Zheng, being part of CSI means working in a highly collaborative and supportive research environment, with excellent infrastructure and strong networks across different disciplines. It gives him the opportunity to exchange ideas, learn from others and be inspired by different approaches.