Jun Li (chemist)

Jun Li (born 1966) is a distinguished professor of chemistry at Kansas State University known for his research in nanoscience and nanomaterials. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the National Academy of Inventors, and the International Association of Advanced Materials.

He has published over 200 journal articles with h-index 59, proceeding papers, and book chapters, and is the co-inventor of over 30 nanotechnology patent applications. He co-edited a book on Biosensors based on Nanomaterials and Devices in 2014. He is a senior editor of IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology. He is also a recipient of the 2005 Nano 50 Innovator Awards by Nanotech Briefs.

Education
Li completed his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Wuhan University in China.

He pursued a Master of Science degree in chemistry at Princeton University.

He completed his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Princeton University, under the guidance of his co-advisors, Giacinto Scoles and Keng S. Liang.

He carried out his postdoctoral research in electrochemistry under the guidance of Héctor D. Abruña at Cornell University.

Career
Li held the position of a senior scientist at NASA Ames Research Center from September 2000 – June 2007.

He served as a tenured associate professor at Kansas State University from July 1, 2007, to June 2012 and a full professor from July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2023, at Kansas State University.

Since July 1, 2023, Li has held the position of University Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University.

Research
Li's research is primarily centered on nanomaterials, renewable energy, and electrochemistry. His research in nanoscience and nanotechnology focuses on exploring uses of micro- and nano-scale devices across diverse areas such as chemical and biochemical analysis, biomedical applications, energy transformation and storage, environmental surveillance, and electronics. A large set of his research is focused on a special type of nanostructured carbon materials, i.e., vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs).

Awards and honors

 * Member of the carbon nanotube logic circuit team of NASA Turning Goals Into Reality (TGIR) Award (2005)
 * NASA Ames Honor Award for excellence in Commercialization and Technology Transfer (2005)
 * Nano 50 Innovator Awards by Nanotech Briefs for pioneering achievements in advancing the state of the art in nanotechnology (2005)
 * Professorial Performance Award, Kansas State University (2018)
 * The Segebrecht Award by Kansas State University (2018)
 * Fellow of National Academy of Inventors (Since 2019)
 * Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (Since 2021)
 * Fellow of International Association of Advanced Materials (Since 2022)
 * Elected as University Distinguished Professor, Kansas State University (2023)