Department of Chemistry

Chris Li, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry. An expert in electrochemistry and the chemical processes that lie behind waste conversion, his lab develops electrochemical reactions to transform waste products into useful materials with commercial value such as hydrocarbons or alcohol. Li is among 16 early-career scholars in chemistry, physics and astronomy named to the 2025 Class of Cottrell Scholars. This award supports his development of a plasma-electrochemical reactor to produce ammonia from nitrogen in the air and water without any carbon footprint by mimicking nature’s nitrogen cycle. His goal is to replace the current industrial method for the production of ammonia needed for synthetic fertilizers, which requires fossil fuels and consumes about 2% of the world’s total energy supply.