Shanshan is a Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellow (equivalent to Assistant Professor), Academic (Teaching & Research) Lecturer in Catalysis, working at the Department of Materials and The University of Manchester-Harwell group since Jan 2025. Her research is focused on the design and development of heterogeneous catalytic systems for a range of sustainable chemical reactions (e.g., H₂ production, N₂ fixation and CO₂ conversion), and employment of operando X-ray spectroscopy and DRIFTS to monitor these under real working conditions and gain an understanding of mechanism. Prior to joining the Department of Materials, Shanshan worked as the Research Associate at UoM with the Laurelin project funded by European Union Horizon 2020 on selective CO₂ conversion to renewable methanol through innovative technologies (microwave, plasma and magnetic induction). The project aimed to advance the understanding of plasma catalysis system by utilizing a combination of synchronic X-ray absorption spectroscopy and DRIFTS techniques to study catalyst properties-reactions. She obtained her PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Manchester, which was undertaken under the guidance of Prof. Christopher Hardacre and Dr. Xiaolei Fan, investigating CO₂ conversions by thermal and plasma catalysis. This followed an MSc in Material Science and Engineering, investigating on the preparation of 2D materials and their application in electrochemistry. 

My research is focused on the catalyst design and development of heterogeneous thermal-catalytic and nonthermal plasma catalytic systems for various sustainable chemical reactions (e.g., H₂ production, N₂ fixation, CO₂ conversion and plastic waste conversion) and employment of operando spectroscopy techniques to monitor these under real working conditions and gain an understanding of mechanism.

Catalysts design

For catalysts engineering, my research lies in metal oxide and porous materials (e.g., zeolite, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)) preparation and modification and their application in catalysis process. This includes understanding of their adsorption/electronic/structural properties and their influence on the physicochemical properties of catalytic reactive sites and reactions. 

Operando/In situ spectroscopy

My research investigates how the material properties affect the reactivity. A range of techniques including infra-red, DRIFTS, UV-vis and Raman spectroscopies are used to investigate the adsorption/electronic properties of catalyst. Operando X-ray spectroscopy including XAS and XPDF conducted at national and international X-ray research facilities, has been used to understand the local structure of the catalytic active sites, which are underpinned by structure-activity correlations. Studies have been performed on operando XAS study for nonthermal plasma catalytic CO₂ conversions under real high voltage working conditions and gain an understanding of active species responsible and deactivation mechanism. This insight is invaluable and feeds back into future catalyst design strategies to enable more effective nano-engineering of catalytic materials.

Join Us
​My research group is accepting postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and academic visitors. Please contact me if you are interested in applying or discussing other opportunities (incl. applying for PhD scholarships available through our University).

PhD Studentships available:
1. President’s Doctoral Scholarship
2. Dean’s Doctoral Scholarship
3. School of Natural Sciences Diversity PhD Scholarships
4. University of Manchester - CSC joint scholarship
5. EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) 
6. Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) Programme