Yue Yu

I received my MASc degree in Chemical Engineering department in University of Waterloo in 2019 then continued my research as a PhD student under the supervision by Prof. Luis Ricardez-Sandoval and Prof. David Simakov. During my MASc, I focused on carbon dioxide methanation reaction over multi-metallic transition metal-based thermo-catalysts (Co/Mo oxide and carbide). During my PhD, I developed K-promoted Fe-based catalysts by the newly developed modified reverse microemulsion method for direct conversion of carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons, which showed decent conversion of carbon dioxide and over 50% selectivity to light hydrocarbons (C2-C4 paraffins and olefins), providing a potential for direct carbon dioxide conversion to valuable hydrocarbons. Currently, my research is on investigation of a potential catalyst(s) for Reverse Water Gas Shift, metal doped ceria-based catalysts, by the combination of Density Functional Theory (DFT) method and Machine Learning algorithm, which aim for optimal materials for carbon dioxide hydrogenation.​