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Dr Jinqiang Zhang

Resident Fellow

UWA School of Molecular Sciences

jinqiang.zhang@uwa.edu.au

Bio

Dr Zhang grew up in China where he obtained his undergraduate degree (2008-2012) and Master’s degree (2013-2016) at China University of Petroleum (East China). He obtained his PhD in Perth from ECU’s School of Engineering on ‘Development of nanostructured photocatalysts for solar fuels production’ (2017-2021). After his PhD, Dr Zhang moved to Adelaide in 2022 to take up a post-doctoral position working on photothermal catalytic conversions of one-carbon compounds. In 2024 he was awarded an Australian Research Council Discover Early Career Research Award and in 2025 moved to UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences to take up a lectureship. At UWA his work will focus on developing nanostructured catalysts to convert sunlight into chemical fuels, such as clean hydrogen from water and high-value-added fuels from CO₂.

Research Summary

Dr Zhang’s research interests focus on photocatalysis, photothermal catalysis, and electrochemical energy conversion for sustainable energy production and environmental remediation. His work spans multiple areas, including: (i) photocatalysis and photothermal catalysis such as carbon nitride-based and metal-supported photocatalysts, water splitting for hydrogen production and CO₂ reduction to valuable chemicals; (ii) advanced oxidation & environmental remediation such as wastewater treatment, removal of organic pollutants using single-atom catalysts, and catalytic water purification; (iii) electrocatalysis and energy storage such as catalysts for zinc-air and lithium-ion batteries, electrochemical CO₂ reduction and metal-organic frameworks for energy storage; and (iv) nanomaterial engineering and catalytic mechanisms such as designing improved charge separation in photocatalysts, and carbon-based nanomaterials (e.g. carbon dots, porous carbon, carbon nitride) for catalysis.

Work and Education History

  • 2025 - now: Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Fellow, UWA School of Molecular Sciences

  • 2025 - now: Lecturer, UWA School of Molecular Sciences

  • 2024 - 2025: DECRA Fellow, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide

  • 2022 - 2024: Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide

  • 2020 - 2021 Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University

  • 2017 - 2021: PhD in Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University

  • 2013 - 2016: Master’s in Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum

  • 2008 - 2012: Bachelor of Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum

Links

  • https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/jinqiang-zhang

  • https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/jinqiang.zhang

  • https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9955-8826

  • https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=zh-CN&user=5BLHklSQrlcC