Dr. Pin-Yi Zhao | Energy Storage Materials | Young Scientist Award

Doctorate at SINOPEC (Dalian) Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals Co., Ltd., China

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🎓 Academic Achievements and Education

Pinyi Zhao earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the prestigious University College London (UCL) (2017–2022), where they were honored with the Dean’s Scholarship, valued at £72,770. During this time, they developed proficiency in conducting risk assessments and maintaining health and safety standards in the workplace. Their research demanded independent and collaborative problem-solving skills, which they utilized to troubleshoot complex technological challenges. Additionally, they honed their analytical capabilities by recording, analyzing, and summarizing data to prepare comprehensive weekly academic reports, both in written and verbal formats.

Prior to their Ph.D., Pinyi pursued a Master of Engineering in Chemical Technology at Tianjin University, a Project 985 institution (2014–2017). With a stellar GPA of 3.7/4.0, they were recognized with an Outstanding Graduate Thesis. Pinyi’s academic excellence earned them the China National Scholarship, a prestigious award conferred to only the top 0.2% of college-educated students in China. They were also a recipient of the Baoshun Scholarship and the Award for Commemoration of Tianjin University’s 120th Anniversary, reflecting their exceptional contributions to the university. Further, they demonstrated their technical expertise by successfully passing the foundations of the Certified Chemical Engineer examination.

Pinyi’s academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Chemistry from Tianjin University (2010–2014), where they maintained an impressive GPA of 3.6/4.0 during their junior and senior years, securing direct admission to graduate school. Their accolades include being named an Outstanding Graduate, a Top Ten Youth in the School of Science, and a recipient of the Outstanding Student Scholarship on two occasions. Notably, Pinyi showcased leadership and innovation as the team lead for the American Mathematical Contest in Modeling, earning an Honorable Mention award.

🔬 Research and Professional Experience

Pinyi Zhao has cultivated a robust research portfolio across various esteemed institutions. As a Visiting Researcher at the UCL Institute for Materials Discovery (2021–2023), they collaborated on multidisciplinary projects aimed at developing eco-friendly electrode materials, culminating in the publication of two papers in prominent international journals.

During their tenure as a Doctoral Research Assistant at UCL Chemistry (2018–2021), Pinyi made significant contributions to advancing lithium-ion battery technologies. Their pioneering work on eco-friendly aerosol multicoated silicon anodes introduced a novel Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Deposition (AACD) method, resulting in sustainable materials for battery electrodes. They demonstrated advanced materials characterization techniques and employed machine learning to analyze data innovatively. Furthermore, they explored organic-processed AACD for multicoated composites, devising a quantifiable ‘fulfilled ratio’ to optimize materials design and algorithms to analyze cyclic-type curves. Pinyi also contributed to the development of safe and high-performance all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries, preparing materials through solid-state synthesis, performing Rietveld refinement with GSAS-II, and visualizing data with Vesta.

As a Graduate Research Assistant at Tianjin University (2014–2017), Pinyi focused on developing hard carbon anode materials for lithium/sodium-ion batteries, achieving significant improvements in capacity using polyacrylonitrile and biomass-derived microspheres and nanofibers. Earlier, as an Undergraduate Research Assistant, they participated in China’s National High Technology Research and Development Program “863”, where they evaluated needle coke-based anode materials and optimized their performance through heat-treatment experiments.

Leading a team as part of their Photonic Polymer Sensors Research project (2012–2014), Pinyi established innovative methods for the chiral recognition of amino acids using molecularly imprinted photonic polymers, utilizing advanced instrumental characterization techniques.

🏅 Awards and Honors

Pinyi Zhao’s academic journey is distinguished by numerous accolades, including the Dean’s Scholarship at UCL and the China National Scholarship, awarded to an elite 0.2% of students nationwide. They also received multiple awards at Tianjin University, such as the Outstanding Graduate Award, the Baoshun Scholarship, and recognition for Science and Technology Excellence, highlighting their consistent excellence and contributions to academic and research excellence.

🧪 Key Skills and Expertise

Pinyi has mastered advanced techniques in materials synthesis, including the innovative Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Deposition (AACD) method. Their expertise spans data analysis, utilizing machine learning for innovative solutions, and characterizing materials through electrochemical techniques. They are proficient in tools like GSAS-II and Vesta, and have demonstrated strong leadership and collaboration skills in multidisciplinary research projects.

Publications Top Noted📝

Novel MOF-derived hexagonal starfish-shaped hollow prismatic cone-loaded metal complexes for electrocatalytic water decomposition study

Authors: Zhang, T., Zhao, Y., Liu, F., … Li, P., Wang, H.

Journal: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Year: 2025

An environment-friendly method to prepare fulvic acid-based porous carbon for high energy density supercapacitors

Authors: Wang, J., Zhang, C., Chen, Z., … Zhang, J., Zhao, P.-Y.

Journal: Diamond and Related Materials

Year: 2024

Waste grape skin bio-derived carbon@NiFe2O4 for the environmental pollutants nitrobenzene detection

Authors: Zheng, M., Shi, K., Zhao, Y., … Li, P., Wang, H.

Journal: Ceramics International

Year: 2024

A simple strategy for the controllable synthesis of tin-based anode materials and their lithium storage performances

Authors: Liu, K., Guo, D., Zhao, D., … Song, Y., Sun, J.

Journal: Journal of Energy Storage

Year: 2024

Spontaneous template approach towards nitrogenous multi-shelled hollow carbon spheres with unique onion-like architecture

Authors: Song, C., Liu, K., Wang, T., … Lu, R., Zhang, S.

Journal: Materials Today Chemistry

Year: 2024