Dr. Shujie Zhou

postdoctoral research associate

UNSW Sydney

The global chemical industry remains one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, with most essential chemicals such as hydrogen, ammonia, and fuels still produced through fossil-fuel–intensive processes. My research directly addresses this challenge by developing renewable energy conversion technologies for green chemical production via photoelectrocatalysis and electrocatalysis, delivering innovations that advance climate change mitigation, clean energy transition, and sustainable industry. My research aims to develop critical raw material free catalysts and devices for the sustainable synthesis of green hydrogen, fuels, and ammonia via CO2 reduction, waste NOx conversion, biomass reforming, and water splitting. It combines the fundamental understanding of reaction mechanisms with system-level engineering, enabling the design of catalysts and devices that achieve both high efficiency and long-term stability under practical operating conditions. Through atomic-level material design and in-situ/operando spectroscopies, I reveal reaction pathways and structure–activity relationships, providing a rational foundation for targeted performance enhancement. Beyond fundamental discoveries, I translate research into scalable, application-ready systems for decentralised chemical manufacturing, reducing reliance on energy-intensive centralised facilities. By bridging fundamental science, prototype development, and techno-economic evaluation, my research offers a replicable blueprint for accelerating renewable technologies from laboratory innovation to market deployment. This combination of scientific insight and technological translation ensures my work contributes not only to advancing the frontiers of catalysis and energy conversion science but also to delivering globally impactful solutions for a net-zero, circular chemical economy.