Dr Hangjuan REN

Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford

Dr Hangjuan Ren is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Chemistry Department at the University of Oxford. Dr Ren received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Sydney in 2019. She then served as a Research Fellow at Cambridge CARES where she worked on a joint project between the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley called the eCO2EP project.

In September 2021, Dr. Ren joined the University of Oxford. Dr. Ren's primary research interests focus on advancing green energy and achieving carbon neutrality. She specialises in electrochemical/photoelectrochemical water splitting, electrochemical CO2 reduction, and development of operando/in-situ characterisation techniques. Through her research, Dr. Ren strives to develop innovative solutions that contribute to a sustainable and environmentally friendly future. Related work has been published in Nature Catalysis, Advanced Materials, etc.

Date of CARES visit: July 2023

Presentation title: Lowering Carbon Emissions: Producing Renewable Energy from Water Splitting and Carbon Dioxide Reduction

Abstract: In the face of growing environmental concerns, the need for sustainable and eco-friendly energy solutions has never been more pressing. The seminar delves into the realm of green energy and explores different strategies aimed at lowering carbon emissions. It specifically focuses on promising techniques of photoelectrochemical and electrochemical water splitting for sustainable hydrogen fuel production, as well as the electrochemical reduction process for converting CO2 into valuable fuels and chemicals. Furthermore, the seminar will explore the important role of operando/in-situ characterisation methods in revealing electrochemical/photoelectrochemical reaction mechanisms. Through the construction and development of these techniques, researchers will gain insights into the real-time monitoring of catalytic reaction processes under working conditions. Interdisciplinary analytical methods corresponding to characterisation methods have also been developed, offering great promise for their application in different fields.

Past Visiting Scientists