About Us

Chinese American Chemical Society Great Lakes Chapter (GLCACS)

Our Vision

Our Objctives

Our Vision

Achieving professional excellence in chemistry and chemical engineering with combined Eastern and Western cultural strengths.

Our Objectives

Among our members and our community,

Promote professionalism, innovation, excellence, leadership, and social responsibility
Embrace both Eastern and Western cultural advantages, and promote cultural exchange
Facilitate intellectual exchange, collaboration, and networking
Promote interactions with other scientific communities, including national and other reginal organizations of ACS, AIChE and CACS
Inspire, nurture and help career growth for young professionals
Foster partnership with area academic and industry leaders in building a thriving community

Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Norman Li, PhD, Chair; NL Chemical Technology

Xiaomao Wu, PhD, Vice Chair; Knowledge Exchange Forum

Jane Li, PhD; NL Chemical Technology

Robin Wang, PhD; NL Chemical Technology

Ling Zhou, PhD; Honeywell UOP

Yanqun Zhao, PhD; AbbVie Inc.

Ling Ye, PhD; CM Square Consulting Ltd.

Mark Zhen, PhD; Valent BioSciences

Executive Committee

President and Conference Chair:

Mark Zhen, PhD, Valent BioSciences

Treasurer:

Yanqun Zhao, PhD, AbbVie Inc.

Program Production:

Hanwei Zhang, PhD; Valent BioSciences

Guojun Wang, PhD; Valent BioSciences

Communication:

Lijun Xu, PhD; Honeywell UOP

Xiaomao Wu, PhD; Knowledge Exchange Forum

Career Development & Education:

Ling Ye, PhD; CM Square Consulting Ltd.

Lilly D’Angelo, PhD, MBA; Global Food & Beverage Technology Associates

University Outreach:

Kun Wang, Dept. of Chem. Eng., Univ. of Illinois at Chicago

Fanrui Sha, Dept. of Chemistry, Northwestern Univ.

Community Outreach:

Sam Jiang, Abbott Laboratory

Sophia Hou, Abbott Laboratory

Robin Wang, PhD; NL Chemical Technology

Le Wang, PhD; AbbVie Inc.

Webmasters:

Xinyu (Ivy) Sun, PhD; Valent BioSciences

Kunyu Wang, PhD; Univ. of Pennsylvania

Advisors:

Ling Zhou, PhD; Honeywell UOP

Lixiao Zeng, PhD; Honeywell UOP

Student Committee

Student Committee Chairs

Kun Wang

Ph.D. candidate Dept. of Chem. Eng. University of Illinois at Chicago kwang84@uic.edu Mr. Kun Wang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He earned a B.S. degree in Macromolecular Material and Engineering at the East China University of Science and Technology and a Master’s degree at the University of Akron. He worked in a joint program with Lawrance Livermore National Laboratory to develop polymer materials for lithium-ion batteries, biomedical devices, and carbon dioxide capture applications. He just passed his Ph.D. defense in March 2024! His dissertation title is "Study of Zwitterionic Materials for Biomedical and Energy Storage Applications". He has 11 publications in reputable peer-reviewed journals and has won 6 awards, including the Award for Graduate Research and Provost’s Graduate Research Award from UIC graduate school.

Fanrui Sha

Ph.D. candidate Dept. of Chemistry Northwestern Univ. fanruisha2024@u.northwestern.edu Ms. Fanrui Sha grew up in the northeastern city of Dalian and came to the US during her sophomore year of high school. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Chemistry department at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), a family of crystalline materials, and their potential as hosts for protein encapsulation. In her free time, Fanrui enjoys cooking, hiking, dancing, and watching ballet.

Student Committee Members

Hanzeng Guo

Dept. of Chem. Eng. University of Illinois at Chicago Hguo28@uic.edu Mr. Hanzeng Guo is a 2nd-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago. He graduated from Soochow University with a Bachelor degree. In 2022, he received his Master degree from Illinois Institute of Technology. His research focuses on classical MD, DFT, AIMD and Machine Learning molecular dynamics. Outside of his academic time, he is more interested in sports, such as basketball and fitness. At the same time, he is also good at long-distance cycling and has completed cycling on the Sichuan-Tibet Line and other routes.

Qianhui Wang

Dept. of Chemistry Northwestern University qianhuiwang2027@u.northwestern.edu Qianhui grew up in Beijing, China, and came to the US to pursue his B.S. degree in Chemistry and B.S. degree in Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 2018. After gaining these two Bachelor's degrees in 2022, he joined the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University to pursue a PhD degree. His current research focuses on the synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), an emerging class of highly porous material, for noble gas separations. During his free time, he especially enjoys cooking, playing soccer, and traveling.

Chang Yan

Dept. of Chem. Eng. University of Notre Dame cyan2@nd.edu Mr. Chang Yan is a 4th-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on catalytic surface chemistry, combining Density Functional Theory (DFT) and microkinetic modeling to rationalize catalyst performance and guide catalyst design. Beyond his professional life, he enjoys hiking and is passionate about cuisine. Currently, he is about to graduate in a few months and is looking for a full-time position.

Ziyong Wang

Ph.D. candidate Materials Science and Eng. Illinois Institute of Technology zwang219@hawk.iit.edu After graduating from Beijing Jiaotong University in 2014, Ziyong joined the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (Chinese Academy of Sciences), where he explored thin film solar cells with a focus on the preparation and performance study of new copper-based compounds like Cu(InGa)Se and Cu(ZnSn)S(Se) in thin film solar cells. During this time, He applied chemical treatments to enhance the photovoltaic properties of Cu(ZnSn)S(Se) cells. In 2017, Ziyong joined Dr. Leon Shaw's group to research NaCrO2 cathode materials for Sodium-ion batteries, then on silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries. His MS thesis titled "Doping of NaCrO2 Cathode Materials to Enhance its Ionic Conductivity" secured the second place in the MS/MEng category at the annual MMAE Student Research Poster Competition. His current work involves a meticulous study of various synthesis routes to optimize Si/C composites anode performance for low-cost scale manufacture. He has authored three publications on this project, contributing valuable insights to the field. Beyond academia, his interests extend to sports, including soccer, basketball, baseball, and boxing. Ziyong welcomes opportunities for collaboration, discussion, and the exchange of ideas.

Fu Wu

Chemical Biomolecular Eng. Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign fwu26@illinois.edu Mr. Fu Wu is a second year PhD student in Chemical Biomolecular Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). His research focuses on controlling the porosity and tortuosity of the electrode to enhance fast-charging performance.

Xinbo Zhang

Dept. of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Eng. Illinois Institute of Technology xzhang148@hawk.iit.edu Xinbo Zhang is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, joining the department in 2022. Before this, he graduated from Qingdao University in 2020 with a Master's degree and served as a research assistant at the Southern University of Science and Technology from 2020 to 2022. During this period, his primary research focus was on the synthesis of block copolymers and the study of the thermoelectric properties of ion gels. Xinbo's current research interests are centered on the development of high zT bulk materials using two-dimensional tellurene nano sheets. He is dedicated to employing hydrothermal synthesis for fabricating nano two-dimensional materials and utilizing chemical techniques for their assembly, aiming to achieve high zT values at room temperatures. In his leisure time, Xinbo enjoys swimming, playing table tennis, and exploring the art of origami. With a steadfast commitment to his academic work, a broad range of research experiences, and a variety of personal interests, Xinbo Zhang aspires to be a well-rounded individual. He has a strong interest in the field of chemistry and is dedicated to achieving diversified development in his scientific research life.

Yi Zhang

Dept. of Chemistry University of Illinois at Chicago yzhan321@uic.edu Yi grew up in Gansu, China, and graduated with M.S. in polymer science from The University of Akron in 2020. She started her Ph.D. in biochemistry and biophysics of protein liquid -liquid phase separation (LLPS) at University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on synthesis and characterization of short peptides. Her core specialty is characterizing peptides and proteins using bioanalytical and microscopy techniques, like NMR, LC-MS, and optical tweezer. She enjoys snowboarding, swimming, and road-tripping to new places at her free time.

Our History

GLCACS is the local chapter of Chinese American Chemical Society (CACS) serving Chinese American scientists, engineers and other professionals in chemistry, chemical engineering related fields in the Great Lakes region, including Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and other neighbor states.

GLCACS was founded in 1997, when its inaugural annual conference was held on July 6, 1997, at Oak Brook Hills Hotel, Oak Brook, IL. Since then, it has been actively serving the regional professional community through hosting conferences, picnics and other events in Chicago, IL area.

GLCACS is a not-for-profit educational organization with IRS 501(c)(3) status. All of its Board Members, officers, and associates work for the organization voluntarily.

Our History

Our Affiliation

Chinese American Chemical Society (CACS) is a non-political and non-profit organization for Chinese American professionals working in the chemistry and chemical engineering related fields within the United States.

CACS is the only Chinese professional organization that is officially recognized by American Chemical Society (ACS) and American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE).

Chinese American Chemical Society was found by a group of Chinese American academic and industry leaders located primarily in California in 1982.

The immediate role that CACS had played was to help the first wave of visiting scholars from the People’s Republic of China (since its reopen to the outside world in 1978) in settling down in their prospective hosting institutions and initiating their productive work.

Since then, CACS has grown more nationally, with 4 local chapters spread in West Coast, East Coast, South Coast and Midwest (GLCACS) regions.

Our Affiliation

About Us

Our Vision

Achieving professional excellence in chemistry and chemical engineering with combined Eastern and Western cultural strengths.

Our Objectives

Among our members and our community,

Promote professionalism, innovation, excellence, leadership, and social responsibility

Embrace both Eastern and Western cultural advantages, and promote cultural exchange

Facilitate intellectual exchange, collaboration, and networking

Promote interactions with other scientific communities, including national and other reginal organizations of ACS, AIChE and CACS

Inspire, nurture and help career growth for young professionals

Foster partnership with area academic and industry leaders in building a thriving community

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Student Committee

Our History

Our Affiliation