Welcome to Know
Our Members
PI, Yangju Lin
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
University of Waterloo
Office: Chemistry 2, Room 163
Email: yangju.lin@uwaterloo.ca
Yangju Lin obtained his B.S. (2012) in Chemistry and M.S. (2015) in Polymer Chemistry and Physics from Xiamen University. During his M.S. research, he worked with Prof. Wengui Weng on self-healing and stress-sensing polymers. He later earned his Ph.D. (2020) under the guidance of Prof. Stephen Craig at Duke University, where he focused on the molecular-level engineering of stress-responsive materials. Yangju Lin conducted his postdoc in Zhenan Bao’s group at Stanford University, where he worked on the molecular design of polymer materials for batteries. His research interests include mechanistic polymer design, sustainable polymers, and polymer materials for batteries.
Zhenghao (Jay) Zhai (Postdoc)
2024 – Present
PhD (2024) Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech. US (Advisor: Kevin Edgar)
MS (2020) Chemistry Department, Xiamen University, China (Advisor: Weitai Wu)
Zhenghao's research focuses on the mechanistic design of mechanically durable polymers, emphasizing the use of mechanical bonds to enhance polymer toughness and resilience.
Email: zhenghao.zhai@uwaterloo.ca
Lauren DiLoreto (Ph.D. student)
2025 – Present
BS (2024) Chemistry Department, University of Western Ontario, Canada
Lauren's research is dedicated to polyolefin upcycling and developing polymer materials with novel mechanochromic behaviour.
Email: ldiloret@uwaterloo.ca
Ahmed Eldeeb (Ph.D. student)
2025 – Present
BS (2022) Chemistry Department, Tanta University, Egypt
Ahmed is interested in designing multifunctional electrode binders for advanced batteries.
Email: aeldeeb@uwaterloo.ca
Alexia Miller (UG/Co-op student)
2025 – Present
BS (2027, expected) Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Canada
Alexia focuses on the synthetic optimization of macrocycles, leveraging her extensive experience in the optimization and scale-up of organic compounds. Part of her work involves designing mechanically interlocked polymers.
Email: a6miller@uwaterloo.ca
Junyang Li (Ph.D. student)
2025 – Present
MS (2025), School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, University of Akron, US (Advisor: Junpeng Wang)
Junyang is focused on developing novel NIR force probes and their uses in understanding material behavior under mechanical load.
Email: junyang.li@uwaterloo.ca
Quinn Talukdar (M.S. student)
2025 – Present
BS (2025) Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Canada
Quinn is enrolled in a joint program with Duhamel Lab. His research focuses on understanding the behaviour of topologically distinct polymers across multiple scales.
Email: qtalukdar@uwaterloo.ca
Peilin Yang (UG student)
2025 – Present
BS (2027, expected) MNS program, University of Waterloo, Canada
Peilin has been volunteering and exploring research experience since September 2025. He is focused on building knowledge and gaining experience in synthetic chemistry and polymer design, with an emphasis on mechanically resilient polymers.
Email: p26yang@uwaterloo.ca
Jiakun Li (UG student)
2025 – Present
BS (2027, expected) MNS program, University of Waterloo, Canada
Jia has been volunteering in the lab since September 2025, where he is developing knowledge and experience in synthetic chemistry and polymer design, with a focus on sustainable and recyclable polymers.
Email: j2792li@uwaterloo.ca
Baihan Wang (UG student)
2025 – Present
BS (2027, expected) MNS program, University of Waterloo, Canada
Baihan (Lucas) has been volunteering and exploring research experience since September 2025. He is focused on designing polymers for battery applications.
Email: b99wang@uwaterloo.ca
Chenning Li (UG student)
2026 – Present
BS (2027, expected) MNS program, University of Waterloo, Canada
Chenning joined our lab as a volunteer in Jan 2026 and is now working on polymer design for battery applications.
Email: c273li@uwaterloo.ca