The Qiu Research Group
Laboratory of Dynamic Materials
Principal Investigator
Yunyan Qiu Ph.D.
Presidential Young Professor
Department of Chemistry
National University of Singapore
yunyanq@nus.edu.sg
chem.qiulab@gmail.com
Dr. Yunyan Qiu completed his undergraduate training, majoring in medicinal chemistry, at Peking University with Professor Demin Zhou. Then he came to the United States and earned his Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University under the guidance of Professor Kevin Noonan and Tomek Kowalewski. During his graduate study, Dr. Qiu’s research encompassed organometallic chemistry and polymer science, focusing on the rational design of conjugated polymers and developing controlled methodologies to afford well-defined functional materials using metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. Since December 2016, Dr. Qiu has been a postdoctoral fellow working with Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart, the 2016 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry, at Northwestern University (NU), where he researches molecular machines and related functional materials. In October 2021, Dr. Qiu is promoted to a research assistant professor of chemistry at NU.
In Fall 2022, Yunyan started his independent career as a Presidential Young Professor (PYP) of Chemistry at National University of Singapore.
To know more about Dr. Qiu, please check the spotlight page produced by International Institute for Nanotechnology at Northwestern University.
Professional Appointment
October 2022 Presidential Young Professor of Chemistry
National University of Singapore
October 2021 Research Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Northwestern University
Education and Professional Training
Dec 2016–Sep 2021 Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University
with Sir Fraser Stoddart
Aug 2011–Sep 2016 Ph.D. Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University
with Professor Kevin Noonan and Tomasz Kowalewski
Sep 2007–Jul 2011 B.S. Medicinal Chemistry / Pharmaceutical Science
Peking University Health Science Center with Professor Demin Zhou
Awards and Recognition
2024 Sauvage-Stoddart-Feringa Junior Award
2021 Foresight Fellow in Molecular Machines
2020 Dream Chemistry Top 5 Prize
2020 International Institute for Nanotechnology Outstanding Researcher Award
2018 CAS SciFinder® Future Leaders
2018 PMSE Future Faculty Scholars, ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA
2017 ACS Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium
2015 John and Nancy Harrison Legacy Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry and Biochemistry, CMU
The Team
We are looking for creative, dedicated and highly motivated individuals to join our laboratory! Interested postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students, and research assistants who are interested in exploring new chemistry are encouraged to apply directly by contacting Dr. Qiu.
For more information, see the Join Us tab.
Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Yantao Sun
Postdoctoral Researcher
Yantao was born in Gansu Province, China. He received his B.S. degree in applied chemistry and a Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry from Lanzhou University under the supervision of Prof Xiangfeng Shao in 2013 and 2018, respectively. His Ph.D. dissertation was on design, synthesis, and photoelectric properties of sulfur-doped curved molecules. After that he moved to the North University of China as a lecturer. In March 2023, he joined Prof Qiu’s group at the National University of Singapore as a postdoctoral research fellow under the support of the China Scholarship Council. His current interests focus on the synthesis of conjugated macrocycles and mechanically interlocked polymers. In his spare time, he likes hiking and watching movies.
Xin Jiang
Postdoctoral Researcher
Xin was born in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, China. He earned his B.S. degree in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Shaanxi University of Science and Technology in 2016. He then moved to the Department of Chemistry at Jilin University, where he focused on the construction and functionalization of metallacages under the supervision of Prof Ming Wang, receiving his Ph.D. degree in 2021. In January 2022, he joined Prof Jing Yu’s group at Nanyang Technological University as a research fellow, where he worked on the design and synthesis of supramolecular elastomers and covalent adaptable networks. In July 2024, he joined Prof Qiu’s group as a research fellow. His research interests include the design and synthesis of precise mechanically interlocked bulk materials or assemblies. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, watching movies, and exploring new foods or landscapes.
Zongnan Zhang
Postdoctoral Researcher
Zongnan was born in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China. He received B.S. in Chemistry from Xi’an JiaoTong University in 2020. Excited by the rich chemistry of material design, he pursued his graduate studies under the direction of Prof. Shujiang Ding at Xi’an JiaoTong University, where he focused on polymer modification and solid-state electrolytes. In April 2025, he joined Prof. Qiu’s group as a research fellow. His research interests include upcycling of commercial polymer and the design of mechanically interlocked functional-materials. Outside of the lab, he enjoys table tennis, body building and cooking.
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Zhibing Zhou
Postdoctoral Researcher
Zhibing was born in Xiaogan, Hubei Province, China. He received his B.S. degree in Applied Chemistry and his master degree in Organic Chemistry from Beijing Institute of Technology in 2017 and 2020, respectively, where he worked on the development of C–H activation methodologies under the supervision of Prof. Bo Yao. He then moved to the Department of Chemistry at National University of Singapore, where he engaged in the design, synthesis and function of novel covalent organic frameworks under the supervision of Prof Donglin Jiang, receiving his Ph.D. degree in 2025. In October 2025, he joined Prof Yunyan Qiu’s group at National University of Singapore as a research fellow, where he focused on the design and synthesis of polymers in nanospaces. His current interests include supramolecular chemistry, porous crystalline materials, polymer chemistry, and confined-space synthesis. Outside the laboratory, he enjoys playing basketball, badminton, and tennis, as well as swimming, fitness training, and traveling.
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Chengjuan Wang
Postdoctoral Researcher
Chengjuan was born in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. She received her B.S. degree in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Jiangsu University in 2020. She then pursued her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Shandong University under the supervision of Prof. Yanxiang Wang, and graduated in December 2025. During her doctoral studies, her research focused on the CVD process of carbon nanotubes, carbon fiber–reinforced composites, and electromagnetic functional materials. In February 2026, she joined Prof. Qiu's group as a research fellow. Her current research interests center on the synthesis of biomass-derived carbon materials and the design of electromagnetic functional materials. In her spare time, she enjoys long-distance running, playing badminton, reading, and traveling.
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Graduate Students
Jiaqi Han
Ph.D. Student (Year 4)
Jiaqi was born and grew up in Heilongjiang, China. He completed his undergraduate training, majoring in organic materials, with Prof Lan Sheng and received his B.S. degree in Chemistry at Jilin University in 2019. Afterwards, he moved to the Department of Chemistry at Nankai University, where he commenced his education in asymmetric hydrogenation and asymmetric total synthesis of natural products under the supervision of Prof Qi-Lin Zhou & Prof Jian-Hua Xie and received his M.S. degree in 2022. In October 2022, he joined the group of Prof Yunyan Qiu in Chemistry at the National University of Singapore as a Ph.D. student. His research interests focus on the design and synthesis of polyrotaxanes. In his spare time, he likes reading and looking for delicious food in Singapore.
Jiajia Ping
Ph.D. Student (Year 4)
Jiajia was born in Baoding, Hebei province in China. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in polymer materials and engineering from Tianjin University of Science and Technology in 2019. Then she came to Tianjin University to start her master’s study in polymer materials, working on the crystallization and phase transition behavior of isotactic polybutene under the direction of Prof Zhe Ma. She joined the Qiu research group as a Ph.D. student under the guidance of Professor Yunyan Qiu at the National University of Singapore in October 2022. Her current research interests focus on polymer controlled polymerization. In spare time, she like to watch comedy movies and talk shows.
Hua Zhong
Ph.D. Student (Year 3)
Hua was born in Weifang, Shandong Province, China. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree (joint training) at Southwest University of Science and Technology & University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2020. Afterwards, He was continuing his Master’s degree in Polymer Chemistry at USTC under the supervision of Prof Feng Wang. In 2023, he joined the group of Prof Yunyan Qiu in Chemistry at the National University of Singapore as a Ph.D. student. In his spare time, he enjoys working out and swimming.
Zhongwei Sun
Ph.D. Student (Year 3)
Zhongwei comes from Jiangsu Province, China. In 2017, she obtained her B.S. degree from Nanjing University of Science and Technology. Afterwards, she joined Prof Shaodong Zhang's research team at Shanghai Jiaotong University, focusing on the design and structure of molecular cages until 2020. After three years’ administrative work in Jiangsu Normal University, she started her Ph.D. journey in 2023 as a member of Prof Qiu's group at the National University of Singapore. During her leisure time, she finds enjoyment in playing PC games and traveling.
Yuntao Tang
Ph.D. Student (Year 3)
Yuntao comes from Henan Province, China. He got his Bachelor’s degree from Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, then went on to do his Master’s at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, where he worked on functional polymeric ionic liquids under Prof. Yubing Xiong. After that, he spent a year as a research assistant at Westlake University. In 2025, he joined Prof. Yunyan Qiu’s group at the Department of Chemistry as a Ph.D. student. In his free time, he enjoys gaming and planning his next travel adventure.
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Jiameng Deng
Ph.D. Student (Year 2)
Jiameng was born in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Peking University in 2021 and I have a double degree in Chemistry and Sociology. Afterward, he came to the National University of Singapore to finish his Master's degree in Chemistry under the supervision of Prof Zhao Yu. In 2024, He joined Prof Qiu's group as a PhD student. In his spare time, he likes music and hiking.
Nadia Natputree
Ph.D. Student (Year 1)
Nadia was born and grew up in Pattani province, Thailand. She completed her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Walailak University with a full DPST scholarship. Her academic journey continued at Suranaree University of Technology, where she earned her master's degree under the supervision of Professor David Harding, focusing on molecular magnetic materials. In August 2025, she joined the group of Prof Yunyan Qiu in Chemistry at the National University of Singapore as a Ph.D. student. In her free time, you can often find her relaxing with a movie or getting lost in a good book.
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Hanxiao Ma
Ph.D. Student (Year 1)
Hanxiao was born in Beijing, China. He received his B.Eng. degree in Polymer Material and Engineering from Northwestern Polytechnical University in 2022. Afterwards, He received his M.Sc. degree in chemical science from National University of Singapore in 2023, focusing on synthesis of functional Covalent Organic Frameworks under the supervision of Prof. Jiang Donglin. After that, he spent one year working in SINOPEC Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry as an assistant engineer, engaging in the research work related to polyolefin elastomer (POE). In 2025, He joined Prof. Qiu Yunyan’s research group as a Ph.D. student. In his spare time, He enjoys playing badminton, driving, and classic car collection.
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Chengyu Zeng
Ph.D. Student (Year 1)
Chengyu was born in Nanning, China. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Peking University in 2020. He joined Prof Qiu’s group as a master student in 2024 and as a PhD student in 2026. His research interests focus on synthetic chemistry and supramolecular materials. In his spare time, he enjoys badminton and gemology.
Yifan Ma
Ph.D. Student (Year 1)
Yifan was born in Henan Province, China. He received his B.S. degree in Applied Chemistry from Wuhan Institute of Technology in 2021. He then pursued his Master’s degree in Physical Chemistry at Nankai University under the supervision of Prof. Kang Cai. In 2026, he joined Prof. Yunyan Qiu’s research group as a Ph.D. student. In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies and playing badminton.
Visiting Scholars & Students
Xiaofeng Zhang
Visiting Scholar
Xiaofeng is from Dingxi, Gansu Province in China. She received her B.S. degree from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science at Nanjing Normal University in 2015. She then moved to the School of Chemical Science and Engineering at Yunnan University, where she focused on the construction and functionality of metal-organic coordination polymers under the supervision of Prof. Qihua Zhao, earning her M.S. degree in 2018. Subsequently, she pursued doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Yong Cui at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and obtained her Ph.D. in 2024. In January 2026, she joined Prof. Qiu’s group at the National University of Singapore as a visiting scholar. Her research interests lie in crystalline porous materials. In her spare time, she enjoys running and watching movies.
Ruomeng Zhu
Visiting Student
Ruomeng was born in Heze, Shangdong province, China. She is a Ph.D student at Jiangnan University of China, and she joined Qiu research group as a visiting student in 2025. In her free time, she enjoys poetry, novels, and movies. She dreams of writing a screenplay and making it into a movie.
Undergraduate Students
Research Assistants
Truong Minh Duong
Research Assistant
Duong was born in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. At 18, he came to Singapore where he later received his Bachelor's degree in Chemistry & Biological Chemistry from Nanyang Technological University in 2024. During his undergraduate journey, he worked in the laboratory group of Professor Atsushi Goto, focusing on polymerization methods. He joined Qiu group in January 2024 as a research assistant where he will concentrate on developing new polymerization and depolymerization methods. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV series and documentaries.
