Aisulu Aitbekova

       I am a Kavli Nanoscience Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in the Harry Atwater Group at the California Institute of Technology. Prior to this appointment, I earned my Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering working with Matteo Cargnello at Stanford University. I received my M.S. in Chemical Engineering Practice from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan.

       My PhD work focused on developing novel catalytic materials. By synthesizing catalysts with well-defined properties (size, shape, and composition) and tracking their dynamic nature using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, I studied how a property of a catalyst affects its performance. I then used this knowledge to develop more efficient materials for thermocatalytic CO₂ conversion and automotive exhaust emission control. Now, as a postdoctoral member of the Liquid Sunlight Alliance DOE Energy Hub, I develop solar-driven processes (photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction, photothermal ethylene oligomerization, and tandem photoelectrochemical/photothermal CO2 conversion into liquid fuels) through catalyst synthesis, device fabrication, and reactor engineering.