Mengran Li Royal Australian Chemical Institute National Congress 2026

Mengran Li

I am a senior lecturer at the Department of Chemical Engineering. I obtained my PhD degree from the University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane in 2016. After graduation, I worked as a postdoc at the HBIS-UQ Innovation Centre for Sustainable Steel at UQ for three years helping the steel industry reduce carbon emissions by developing carbon dioxide electrolysis. In May 2021, I started another postdoc at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands continuing my research on carbon dioxide electrolysis for the EU Horizon Project SELECTCO2 until the end of 2022. In January 2023, I joined the Chemical Engineering Department as a Lecturer. In 2023, I was awarded the ARC DECRA to work on integrating carbon capture and electrolysis to reduce the cost associated with carbon neutralisation. In September 2025, I was confirmed and promoted to Senior Lecturer. My research interest is mainly focused on addressing pressing challenges that impede the use of electrochemical systems at scale for low-carbon energy generation and industrial processing. My contributions to the field are recognised by multiple awards, including 2021 Journal of Materials Chemistry A Emerging Investigator in Energy and Sustainability, 2023 FEIT Excellence Award in Mid-Career Research, 2023 Membrane Society Australasia – International Congress on Separation and Purification Technology on Mid-Career Researcher Awards, 2025 Bonn-Melbourne Research Excellence Award, and 2025 Nanoscale Emerging Investigator.