Assistant Professor Wang Lei (Presidential Young Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) has received the 2026 SCEJ Award for Outstanding Asian Researcher and Engineer from the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan (SCEJ).
The annual award recognises researchers and engineers aged 45 or younger who have made outstanding achievements in chemical engineering. It is open to researchers of Asian nationality working in Asian countries outside Japan.
Prof Wang was recognised for his contributions to “understanding and designing electrocatalytic systems to enable energy efficient sustainable chemical productions”.
Prof Wang’s research focuses on electrocatalysis and the development of sustainable fuels and chemicals from abundant molecules, with the aim of designing systems that can enable more energy-efficient and sustainable chemical production.
By using electricity to drive chemical reactions, electrocatalysis offers new ways to produce fuels and chemicals from materials such as carbon dioxide. Prof Wang’s research has explored how carbon dioxide can be converted into useful products such as ethylene glycol, an important industrial chemical widely used to make polyester fibres and plastics.
“I am very honoured to receive the SCEJ Award for Outstanding Asian Researcher and Engineer,” said Prof Wang. “This award underscores the significance of developing electrocatalytic systems for energy-efficient, sustainable chemical production, and I hope it encourages greater collaboration and innovation in this critical field.”
Founded in 1936, SCEJ works to advance chemical engineering and foster research and technological development through collaboration across academia, industry and government.
