Penghao Li, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Dr. Penghao Li will joined the University of Mississippi Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry on August 1st. Dr. Li received his Bachelor of Science from Nankai University, China in 2011, a Masters of Science from Boston University in 2014, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry from the University of Oregon in 2017. He then served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University before joining the faculty at UM. His interests center around the synthesis of carbon nanoarchitectures, organic electronics, molecular recognition, self-assembly, general organic synthesis, and physical organic chemistry.
Dr. Li’s research group aims to gain precise control over the spatial arrangement of π-conjugated molecules by means of covalent and non-covalent linkages to create functional entities with tailored physical properties. They rely on physical organic and supramolecular principles to guide the design of novel molecular, supramolecular, and macromolecular materials with unique optoelectronic, magnetic, and recognition behaviors for the development of enabling technologies related to energy, sustainability, and human health. Additionally, they seek to implement high-throughput and automated synthetic methods based on sustainable and green protocols. Major thrusts of his research group include (1) precise synthesis of graphene-based carbon nanoarchitectures, (2) molecular recognition of curved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and (3) discovery of porous materials though hierarchical self-assembly