Jingguang Chen is a Chinese-American chemical engineer. He has worked in several institutions, including as the Thayer Lindsley Professor of Chemical Engineering at Columbia University, as a Senior Chemist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Claire LeClaire Profssor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware. Over the course of his career, he has made significant contributions to the fundamental understanding and use of novel materials for catalytic and electrocatalytic applications, including research into the development of bimetallic and transition metal carbide catalysts.

Education After earning his Bachelors of Science in chemistry from Nanjing University in 1982, Chen was selected by the China–USA Chemistry Graduate Program (CGP) for graduate studies in the US.

He received his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh in 1988 under the guidance of American surface scientist John Yates. Chen then became an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow 1988–1989 at Forschungszentrum-Julich, Germany, where his research advisor was Harald Ibach.

Professional career Upon completion of his postdoctoral position in Germany, Chen went to work for the Exxon Corporate Research Laboratory as a staff scientist (1990–1998) and spokesperson for the Exxon U1A Synchrotron Beamline at Brookhaven National Laboratory (1994–1998).

In 1998 he began his academic career at the University of Delaware. While at Delaware, in 2008 he was named the Claire D. LeClaire Professor of Chemical Engineering and served several leadership roles including director of the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology (CCST) and interim director of the University of Delaware Energy Institute (UDEI).

In 2012, Chen moved to Columbia University, where he became the Thayer Lindsley Professor of Chemical Engineering. He has also held a joint appointment at the chemistry department of Brookhaven National Lab since 2012.

Chen has also been the co-founder and director of the Synchrotron Catalysis Consortium since 2005, chair of the Catalysis Division of the American Chemical Society 2014–2015, president of the North American Catalysis Society since 2017, and associate editor of ACS Catalysis since 2016.

Research Chen has made many contributions to the understanding and development of novel catalytic and electrocatalytic materials, including bimetallic catalysts, transition metal carbides,H.H. Hwu, J.G. Chen. "Carbide and nitride overlayers on early transition metal surfaces: preparation, characterization, and reactivities". Chemical Reviews. 96 (1996) 1477-1498.H.H. Hwu and J.G. Chen, "Surface Chemistry of Transition Metal Carbides", Chemical Reviews, 105 (2005) 185-212.J.R. Kitchin, J.K. Norskov, M.A. Barteau and J.G. Chen, "Trends in the Chemical Properties of Early Transition Metal Carbide Surfaces: A Density Functional Study", Catalysis Today, 105 (2005) 66-73. and metal-modified carbide catalysts.T.G. Kelly and J.G. Chen, "Metal Overlayer on Metal Carbide Substrate: Unique Bimetallic Properties for Catalysis and Electrocatalysis", Chemical Society Reviews, 41 (2012) 8021-8034.D.V. Esposito and J.G. Chen, "Monolayer Platinum Supported on Tungsten Carbides as Low-Cost Electrocatalysts: Opportunities and Limitations", Energy and Environmental Science, 4 (2011) 3900-3912.B.M. Tackett, W. Sheng and J.G. Chen, "Opportunities and Challenges in Utilizing Metal- modified Transition Metal Carbides as Low-cost Electrocatalysts", Joule, 1 (2017) 253-263. Chen and his research group have made many discoveries relating to monolayer (ML) bimetallic catalysts, which are tunable materials where a single atomic layer (i.e. monolayer) of one metal is deposited on the surface or subsurface of a second material.Jacoby, Mitch. "UNIQUE CATALYSIS ON MONOLAYER: Goldilocks effect governs as bimetallic catalyst binds reactants 'just right'". Chemical & Engineering News. 80 (2002) p. 11. Retrieved 4 January 2018. Chen has developed these and other catalytic materials for a wide range of applications, including in developing tunable, low-cost (electro)catalysts for the production and use of clean fuels such as hydrogen (made from water electrolysis),D.V. Esposito, S.T. Hunt, A.L. Stottlemyer, K.D. Dobson, B.E. McCandless, R.W. Birkmire and J.G. Chen, "Low-Cost Hydrogen Evolution Catalysts Based on Monolayer Platinum on Tungsten Monocarbide (WC) Substrates", Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 49 (2010) 9859-9862.W. Sheng, Z. Zhuang, M. Gao, J. Zheng, J.G. Chen and Y. Yan, "Correlating the hydrogen oxidation and evolution reaction activity on platinum at different pH with measured hydrogen binding energy", Nature Communications, 6 (2015) 5848. nitrogen-based fuels,D.A. Hansgen, D.G. Vlachos and J.G. Chen, "Using First Principles to Predict Bimetallic Catalysts for the Ammonia Decomposition Reaction", Nature Chemistry, 2 (2010) 484-489.] J.G. Chen*, R.M. Crooks*, L.C. Seefeldt*, K.L. Bren, R.M. Bullock, M.Y. Darensbourg, P.L. Holland, B. Hoffman, M.J. Janik, A.K. Jones, M.G. Kanatzidis, P. King, K.M. Lancaster, S.V. Lymar, P. Pfromm, W.F. Schneider, R.R. Schrock, "Beyond Fossil-Fuel-Driven Nitrogen Transformations", Science, 360 (2018) 873. and methanol or CO (made from CO2).W. Yu, M.D. Porosoff and J.G. Chen, "Review of Pt-based Bimetallic Catalysis: From Model Surfaces to Supported Catalysts", Chemical Reviews, 112 (2012) 5780-5817.M.D. Porosoff, B. Yan and J.G. Chen*, "Catalytic reduction of CO2 by H2 for synthesis of CO, methanol and hydrocarbons: Challenges and opportunities", Energy & Environmental Science, 9 (2016) 62.S. Kattel, P.J. Ramírez, J.G. Chen*, J.A. Rodriguez* and P. Liu*, "Active Sites for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol on Cu/ZnO Catalysts", Science, 355 (2017) 1296-1299.

Some of Chen's research efforts involve a combination of theory and ultra-high vacuum (UHV) surface science tools to gain fundamental understanding of the chemical, physical, and electronic structures of the catalytic materials he studies. Chen's research also commonly relies on X-ray synchrotron techniques, such as X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) to better understand the atomic structure of catalytic and electrocatalytic materials under reaction conditions.Chen, JG. "NEXAFS investigations of transition metal oxides, nitrides, carbides, sulfides and other interstitial compounds". Surface Science Reports. 1997. 30 (1-3): 1-152. As of 2025, Chen has been an inventor or co-inventor of over 20 United States patents and published over 500 peer-reviewed papers (h-index=124).Jingguang Chen Google Scholars Citation Webpage. Retrieved June 2021.

Awards Russell and Siguard Varian Fellow (American Vacuum Society), 1986 Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow, 1988 Catalysis Award of Philadelphia Catalysis Club, 2004 Fellow, American Vacuum Society, 2008 Excellence in Catalysis Award, New York Catalysis Society, 2008 Herman Pines Award in Catalysis, Chicago Catalysis Club, 2011 Fellow, American Chemical Society, 2013 Giuseppe Parravano Memorial Award in Catalysis, Michigan Catalysis Society, 2015 George Olah Award in Hydrocarbon Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2015Jacoby, Mitch, "George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry". Chemical & Engineering News. 93 (3): p. 39. Retrieved 4 January 2018. Robert Burwell Lectureship in Catalysis, North American Catalysis Society, 2017 R.B. Anderson Award, Canadian Catalysis Division, 2020 Robert H. Wilhelm Award in Chemical Reaction Engineering, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), 2020 Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2021 Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023 Elected Member, National Academy of Engineering, 2024

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