Yunyun Zhou attended the Ocean University of China (Qingdao, China) where she received her B. E. degree in Chemical Engineering and Technology. Zhou participated in undergraduate research under the supervision of Prof. Chunhu Li and Prof. Yangdong Hu. Her research focused on the design of continuous flow system/reactor for styrene production.
Finding her great passion for catalysis science, Zhou decided to join Dr. Chin Li (Barry) Cheung’s research group at UNL after she spent two years of solid state NMR graduate study with the University of Dayton. In Prof. Cheung’s group, she developed her skills in the synthesis of rare earth metal oxide nanomaterials and characterization, the application of noble metals based rare earth metal oxide nanocatalysts in chemical reactions, and the application of catalytic design using different methods.
Doing research is having fun to Zhou. With Prof. Cheung’s support, she joined several different programs to expand her research ability. She has been to the Center for Advanced Microstructure Devices (CAMD) (Baton Rouge, LA) twice for X-ray absorption spectroscopy training, where she initially developed her synchrotron radiation experimental skills to effectively characterize the nanomaterials. During 2013, Zhou went to Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Shanghai, China) and Brookhaven National Lab (Upton, New York) to further gain more experience in the X-ray absorption spectroscopy for her research. Through the NSF EPSCoR RII program, Zhou had an internship with the University of Puerto Rico (San Guan, Puerto Rico) and worked in an electrochemical group where she extended her research area to electrochemical catalysis.
Zhou has published three papers so far and submitted another two papers recently. One of her papers has been published in the journal of Angewandte Chemie International Edition (IF 13.734). This research project is also reported in the Annual Report of EPSCoR program due to its outstanding significance. She has also presented six posters in several different conferences, such as Gordon conference, ACS Midwest Conference, and NSF EPSCoR RII Conference; attended many workshops; and mentored students from NCMN and ACS SEED summer programs.
Zhou’s future plans include a post-doctoral position after she receives her Ph.D. degree. With two or three years post-doctoral experience, Zhou aims at finding a faculty position in a research institute to pursue her passion of scientific research.