Professor Yuning Li, Principal Investigator
Biography
Dr. Yuning Li is a Chemical Engineering Professor and a researcher in the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Waterloo. His research group studies optoelectronic materials that are suitable for the mass production of electronics using printing technologies. There is an emphasis on the development of printable electronic materials (polymers and nanomaterials) used in thin film transistors (for flexible displays, smart labels, chemo-/bio-sensors, themoelectrics, and memory devices), photovoltaics (for solar cells and photodetectors), and batteries. Professor Li has been the co-recipient of several awards including the 3rd Annual national Aeronautics and Space administration (NASA) Nanotech Briefs Nano 50™ Awards for Printed Organic Electronics in the Technologies category in 2007. So far he has authored over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Professor Li has filed over 120 US patent applications with 75 granted.
Research Interests
Organic and polymer semiconductors, Organic thin film transistors, Organic solar cells, Organic photovoltaics, Printed electronics, Printable conductive inks, Polymer synthesis, Nanomaterials, Electronic materials, Polymer solar cells, Polymer bulk-heterojunction photovoltaics, Small molecule-based OPV, Dye-sensitized Solar Cells, Organic Light-Emitting Diodes, Chemical/biosensors and photo-detectors, Low Temperature-processable Conductive inks, Fabrications and Characterization of Organic Electronics, Internet of Things (IoT), Nanotechnology,
Contact
519-888-4567 x31105
Dr. Venkateswarlu Samala, Researcher/Postdoctoral
Previous Degrees: M.Sc in Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India; PhD in Organic Materials Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Research Area: Developing Organic semiconducting polymers for applications in organic electronics
Contact: vsamala@uwaterloo.ca
Yi Yuan, Researcher/Postdoctoral
Current Program: PhD in Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology)
Previous Degrees: PhD in Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology); BE in Nanomaterials and Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, China; BSc in Materials and Nanosciences, University of Waterloo, Canada
Contact: yi.yuan@uwaterloo.ca
Naixin Zhao, Ph.D. Candidate
Current Program: PhD in Chemical Engineering
Previous Degree: BSc in Chemistry, University of Toronto, Canada; MASc in Environmental Science, University of Toronto
Research Area: Synthesis and applications of conjugated polymers in temperature sensing devices
Contact: n4zhao@uwaterloo.ca
Alex Jin, Ph.D. Candidate
Current Program: PhD in Chemical Engineering
Previous Degree: MSc in Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, China
Research Area: Organic electronics, Materials chemistry
Contact: alex.jin@uwaterloo.ca
Xiangyun Tan, Ph.D. Candidate
Current Program: PhD in Chemical Engineering
Previous Degrees: MSc in Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore; BEng in Light Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, China
Contact: david.tan@uwaterloo.ca
Yonglin Wang, Ph.D. Candidate
Current Program: PhD in Chemical Engineering
Previous Degree: BSc in Chemical Engineering, Tiangong University, China
Research Area: Lithium-ion battery development
Contact: yonglin.wang@uwaterloo.ca
Zhe Huang, Ph.D. Candidate
Current program: Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology), PhD, 2020 Fall
Research project: Lithium-ion Batteries, Lithium-sulfur Batteries
Previous degrees: M.Eng. in Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, China
B.Eng. in Materials Chemistry, Wuhan University of Technology, China
Contact: zhe.huang@uwaterloo.ca
Linxi Wang, PhD Student
Previous Degree: BASc in Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, China
Research Area: Design of high-performance conjugated n-type polymer materials.
Contact: l787wang@uwaterloo.ca
Negin Norouzi, PhD student
Previous Degrees: BSc and MSc in Polymer Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran
Research Area: Design and development of single-ion conducting polymer electrolytes for lithium-metal and solid-state batteries
Contact: nnorouzi@uwaterloo.ca
Yixuan Zhao, PhD Student
Research Project: Electrolyte Design for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Previous Degree: BSc in Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Canada
Contact: yixuan.zhao1@uwaterloo.ca
Jimmy Papazotos, MASc. Student
Currently Enrolled: MASc in Chemical Engineering
Previous Degree: BSc in Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Canada
Research Area: Polymer development and characterisation for applications in gas sensors
Songbo Cui, MASc. Student
Currently Enrolled: MASc. in Chemical Enigineering
Contact: songbo.cui@uwaterloo.ca
Naixin Zhao, Postdoctoral Fellow
Previous Degree: PhD in Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo; MEng, University of Toronto; BSc, University of Toronto
Research Area: Design of novel semiconductive/conductive polymer materials for organic electronics
Contact: naixin.zhao@uwaterloo.ca
Yonglin Wang, Postdoctoral Fellow
Previous Degree: PhD in Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo
Research Area: Design and Development of Novel Polymers for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Contact: yonglin.wang@uwaterloo.ca
Zhe Huang, Postdoctoral Fellow
Previous Degree: PhD in Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology), University of Waterloo; MASc, Wuhan University of Technology; BSc, Wuhan University of Technology
Research Area: Design of Nanocomposites, Electrolytes and Binder Materials for Li2S Batteries, Li-S Batteries
Contact: zhe.huang@uwaterloo.ca
Sohrab Nasiri, Postdoctoral Fellowship
Previous Degrees: PhD in Materials Engineering
Research Area: Organic Optoelectronics, OLEDs, TADF Materials and Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells (LEECs)
Contact: s3nasiri@uwaterloo.ca
Effat Yasin, Visiting Scholar
Period of Visit: January 2022 – October 2023
Research Project: Metal Oxide Composite Nanomaterials: Electron Transport and Sensing Properties
Previous position: Ph.D. student at University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan
Nasim Mia, PhD student in Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology)
Previous Degree: MSc in Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada; BSc in EEE (major in Electronic Engineering), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Research Area: Synthesis and applications of polymers in temperature-sensing devices
Contact: nasim.mia@uwaterloo.ca
Linhao Feng, MASc in Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology)
Previous Degree: BASc in chemistry, University of Waterloo
Research Area: Organic/polymer synthesis; organic electronics; sensors
Ethan A. Ye, Co-op researcher/Undergraduate researcher
Current Program: Nanotechnology Engineering BASc, University of Waterloo
Research Area: Sensor development and testing, electrical design and engineering
Contact: eaye@uwaterloo.ca
Roy Ren, Co-op student
Current Program: Nanotechnology Engineering BASc, University of Waterloo
Period in the group: May, 2026 — August, 2026
Project: Python Literature screening tool