Hi! My name is Qining Wang (she/her). I am a third-year graduate student in the chemistry department at Northwestern University. Jointly advised by Professor Joe Hupp and Professor Justin Notestein, my work focuses on investigating the fundamental aspects of gas-phase catalysts using a class of material named metal-organic framework (MOF). By synthesizing MOF-supported catalysts with uniform and well-defined structures, I hope to establish structural-functional relationships of the catalysts with their reactivity, which would provide insights in designing catalysts with more controllable properties and higher efficiencies. I passed my qualifying exam and officially became a PhD candidate in April 2020, which was still surreal to me amid a global pandemic!
I am an international student from Guizhou, China, and I will be the first person to get a PhD degree in my family. So far, I am keeping my career choices open, but one of my long-term career goals is to make science more accessible to the younger generation from disadvantaged backgrounds. Therefore, I would like to be involved in science communication and mentoring junior scientists in the future. Through Chicago Women in STEM, I hope to meet more like-minded scientists, share our experience and science journey in graduate school, and inspire each other!