Yang Shao-Horn is currently the W.M. Keck Professor of Energy and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Throughout her career, Shao-Horn has focused her research on the chemical physics of surfaces with emphasis on metal oxides, including oxide-solve interface in Li-batteries, descriptors of catalytic activity, wetting properties and ion transport, and design materials and devices for solar fuel including water splitting, carbon dioxide reduction, and metal-oxygen redox chemistry.
Shao-Horn’s research includes experimental components including synthesis of well-defined surfaces and nanostructured materials, and investigation of processes at the surfaces/interfaces using (electro)chemical methods coupled with ex situ and in situ X-ray-based and electron-based spectroscopy.
Among her many honors, Shao-Horn has been awarded the ECS Charles Tobias Young Investigator Award, ISE’s Tajima Prize, Gail E. Kendall Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and AAAS Fellow. She has been ranked as a Highly Cited Researcher by Thomson Reuters, with just over 200 journal papers published. Shao-Horn has advised over 70 MS and PhD students.