Rate My Professor Yiling Nan

Yiling Nan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas, a position she has held since August 2025. She earned her Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Alberta in June 2022, achieving a GPA of 3.95/4.00, her Master’s degree in Chemistry and Biotechnology from The University of Tokyo in August 2018, and her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University in July 2016. Prior to joining the University of Kansas, Nan served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Pharmacy, Center for Computer Aided Drug Design, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, from August 2022 to August 2025. Her research expertise encompasses computational simulation including molecular modeling and parameter optimization, experimental polymer chemistry and physics, force field development, fluid distribution and transport in nano-confined spaces, multiphase interfacial properties involving surface-active agents, and sustainable self-healable polymer glass.

In her Nan Computational Research Lab at the University of Kansas, Nan applies quantum mechanics, molecular dynamics simulations, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to tackle energy and sustainability challenges such as next-generation battery development, molecular separations, and advanced materials design. She has authored or co-authored more than 21 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including Science, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, and Langmuir. Key publications include "Mechanically robust, readily repairable polymers via tailored noncovalent cross-linking" (Science, 2018), "Electrolyte structure of lithium polysulfides with anti-reductive solvent shells for practical lithium–sulfur batteries" (Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2021), and "Balancing Group I Monatomic Ion–Polar Compound Interactions for Condensed Phase Simulation in the Polarizable Drude Force Field" (Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, 2024). Her Google Scholar profile reflects approximately 1,873 citations. Nan has received the Donald Lougheed Engineering Graduate Scholarship, Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship from the University of Alberta, Nagashima Scholarship from The University of Tokyo, and SK Group Scholarship from Tsinghua University. She has delivered presentations at conferences including ACS Spring, AIChE, and Biophysical Society meetings, and serves as a reviewer for journals such as Chemical Engineering Journal, Langmuir, and Fuel.