Fanxing Li, the Thomas M. Clausi Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and University Faculty Scholar, is the recipient of the 2026 ENFL Mid-Career Award from the American Chemical Society Division of Energy & Fuels (ENFL). This award recognizes sustained and distinguished contributions to the field of energy and fuel chemistry.

Prof. Li’s research focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of nano catalyst and reagent particles for biomass and fossil energy conversions, green liquid fuel synthesis, CO2 capture, and pollutant control. His group’s research activities encompass chemical reaction engineering, process synthesis and optimization. Notably, he has been a pioneer in the development of ‘chemical looping catalysis’, a transformative paradigm in which redox-active mixed-metal oxide particles simultaneously catalyze chemical transformations and mediate oxygen and/or CO2 separation. Density Functional Theory (DFT) based methods are also applied to help elucidate particle reaction mechanisms and to identify potential ways to improve particle performance. Prof. Li has been an active organiser of technical symposia for the ENFL Division at ACS National Meetings over several years. He is also an editorial board member of several academic journals across the field of energy technologies.

The award will be presented in Atlanta at the Spring ACS National Meeting in 2026. Congratulations, Prof. Li!