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Liang Feng is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University since 2023. He earned his Ph.D. in 2020 from Texas A&M University, where he investigated hierarchical architectures of porous materials, such as metal-organic frameworks and porous polymers, with applications in carbon capture, gas separation, and catalysis. As a postdoctoral researcher and Foresight Fellow at Northwestern University (2020 - 2023), he works with Prof. Fraser Stoddart (2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry) to explore non-equilibrium materials and their energy applications. During this time, Feng made a groundbreaking discovery of the first fundamentally new adsorption mechanism since the 1930s, revolutionizing the approach to methane and hydrogen storage, carbon capture, and water remediation in active non-equilibrium systems. 

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Feng’s appointment at Duke is a boon to the school’s Climate Commitment and collaborative work to address energy challenges. On board with Duke in just one year, he and his team have delivered many successes related to carbon capture and sustainability: (1) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), US Department of Energy, Early-Career Award (IGNIITE 2024); (2) American Chemical Society’s First Sustainability Star, featured by Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN); (3) Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Scialog Collaborative Innovation Award; (4) ACS Green Chemistry Institute Grant for Greener Peptide Synthesis; (5) Bezos Earth Fund Greenhouse Gas Removal Ideation Prize; (6) Scialog Fellow in Negative Emissions Science by Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA); (7) Duke Trailblazer by Duke University Pratt School of Engineering. Feng’s dedication to practical solutions and collaborative endeavors makes him a necessary member of the new generation of researchers solving the world’s greatest challenges. Dr. Feng published 66 high-impact publications, including in Science, Nature, Nature Chemistry, Nature Protocols, Nature Reviews, and JACS, with a h-index of 41 and over 10,000 citations.

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Feng's research achievements have earned him numerous accolades, such as Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 of China, International Adsorption Society Young Researcher Award, both MRS Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Awards, ACS PMSE Future Faculty Scholarship, Texas A&M University Association of Former Students 12 Under 12 Young Alumni Spotlight, Distinguished Graduate Student Award, and ACS COLL Victor K. LaMer Award Finalist, among others. His passion for the broader impact of research and commitment to leadership is evident in his roles as a DOE Early Career Network Representative, a CAS Future Leader, an ACS Younger Chemist Leadership Development Awardee, and a co-organizer of various career initiatives in energy science.

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Active Adsorption