Hello, my name is Gang Wan (he/him); I am a Physical Science Research Scientist working with Prof. Arun Majumdar at Stanford University.

Prior to my current role, I completed my postdoctoral training with Arun Majumdar at Stanford University and with Piero Pianetta at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory / Stanford University. I obtained my PhD in Materials Physics and Materials Chemistry mentored by Dillon D. Fong at Argonne National Laboratory's Materials Science Division in Illinois.

 

My research aims to uncover how phase transition (e.g., in complex oxides) and molecule activation (e.g., involving oxygen, solvents) occur at the electrochemical interfaces and then ask how these physical and chemical transformations can be precisely controlled at atomic to mesoscopic scales to enable next-generation electrochemical energy storage, reaction engineering and catalysis, and energy-efficient processes. I specialize in thin films, heterostructures, and single-site materials, where I integrate controlled synthesis, directed assembly, and operando characterization to link structure, transport, and function across different length scales.

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To uncover and control how molecular interactions govern emergent phenomena in energy storage, transport, and separation, I combine materials science, reaction engineering (spanning electrochemical, photochemical, and thermochemical processes), and x-ray studies.

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I have published in some of the most prestigious journals, including Science Magazine, Nature Catalysis, Science Advances, and Nature Communications, as well as professional journals (e.g., Advanced Materials, Physical Review Letters, and Chemistry of Materials). I am fortunate to have had my studies extensively highlighted by other institutions and media.

Specifically, my three key contributions in interdisciplinary research include

1. Discovering how oxide hydrogenation occurs in batteries, correcting thirty years of conventional models of cathode self-discharge (Science, 2024);

2. Revealing how crystalline-to-amorphous transition occurs in perovskite oxides  electrocatalysts, revising the traditional principles of materials design for electrosynthesis (Science Advances, 2021);

3. Demonstrating unique opportunities for directing ion migrations on supported materials, transforming active sites to improve methane removal (Nature Catalysis, 2023);​