PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Younan Xia was born in Jingjiang, Jiangsu, China. He received his Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from Harvard University (with Professor George M. Whitesides) in 1996, M.S. degree in inorganic chemistry from University of Pennsylvania (with the late Professor Alan G. MacDiarmid) in 1993, and B.S. degree in chemical physics from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 1987. He came to the United States in 1991.
Contact:
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Baltimore, MD 21205
Office: Ross 726
Phone: 410-502-6959
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
Dr. Min Hao was born in Shandong, China. She received her Ph.D. degree in inorganic chemistry from Shandong University in June 2023, where she worked on the design and fabrication of nanomaterials for regulating the fate of stem cells. Min joined the Xia group as a postdoctoral fellow in July 2023. Her research interests include the rational development of nanomaterials and scaffolds for biomedical applications.
Dr. Jianlong He was born in Rizhao, Shandong, China. He received his Ph.D. degree in chemistry and biochemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2026, M.E. degree in materials science from Shandong University in 2021, and B.E. degree in inorganic non-metal material engineering from Jilin University in 2018. He joined the Xia group in the fall of 2023. His research interests include the synthesis and application of new biomaterials.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Yuxuan Meng was born in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China. She received her M.S. degree in Advanced Materials science and Engineering from Imperial College London in 2023 and B.E. degree in Polymer Materials and Engineering from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in 2022, working on nanostructured materials for biomedical applications. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in chemistry at Georgia Tech. She joined the Xia group in the Fall of 2023 and her research interest includes the rational development of polymers and composites for biomedical applications.
Yanzi Yan was born in Henan, China. She received her M.E. degree in materials processing engineering from Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) in 2021 and B.E. degree in polymer materials science and engineering from Donghua University (DHU) in 2018. She worked as a research assistant on DNA and mRNA delivery at SYSU from 2021-2022. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in chemistry at Georgia Tech. She joined the Xia group in the Fall of 2023 and her research interest includes the synthesis of nanomaterials for biological applications.
Po Ting Niki Siu was born in Hong Kong. She received her B.S. degree in Chemistry from The Chinese University of Hong Kong(CUHK) in 2023. She is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry at Georgia Tech. She joined the Xia group in the Fall of 2023 and her research interest includes the synthesis of nanomaterials for biological applications.
Zhiqi Wang was born in Jilin, China. He received his B.S. degree in material chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2023, where he worked on the mechanisms of nanomaterial synthesis and their applications in catalysis. He is pursuing his Ph.D. in chemistry at Georgia Tech. He joined the Xia group in the Fall of 2023 and is working on the nucleation and growth mechanisms of nanocrystals for their controllable synthesis and potential applications in electrocatalysis and energy conversion.
Minghong Wu was born in Guangdong, China. He received his M.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering in 2024 and his B.S. degree in Polymer Materials and Engineering in 2021, both from South China University of Technology. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Minghong joined the Xia group in the Fall of 2024, and his research interest includes the design of polymers and nanomaterials for biomedical applications.
Yutong Wang was born in Beijing, China. She received her MSci Chemistry degree from University College London (UCL) in July 2024. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. degree in Chemistry at Georgia Tech, and she joined Xia group in Fall of 2024. Her research interest includes nanomaterials and nanocrystal synthesis.
Jiaqi Guan was born in Henan, China. He received his B.S. degree in physical chemistry from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2023. He worked as a research assistant in inorganic chemistry at USTC from 2023 to 2024, where he focused on the rational synthesis of surfaces and interfaces and related electrocatalytic applications. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Georgia Tech, and he joined the Xia group in the Fall of 2024. His research interests include the synthesis of nanomaterials for electrocatalytic and biological applications.
Jiayue Feng was born in Hangzhou, China. She obtained her MSci degree in Chemistry from Imperial College London in 2023. Following a brief experience in the chemical industry, she worked as a research assistant in biomaterials at Westlake University. She joined Johns Hopkins University as a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering in Fall 2026. Her research interests lie in the design and application of biomaterials.
Tiezheng Chen was born in Shanghai, China. He received his B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from ShanghaiTech University in 2026. He is currently a master’s student in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Tiezheng joined the Xia group in the Fall of 2026, and his research interest includes the development of nanomaterials for molecular detection and disease diagnosis.
RESEARCH TECHNOLOGISTS
Jerry Deng was born in Niskayuna, New York in 2004, with his current home in Shanghai, China. He received his B.S. degree in Biological Engineering from Cornell University in 2026 with a focus on biomaterials. He joined the Xia group in the summer of 2026 as a Research Technologist. His research interests include biomaterials, brain-computer interfaces, and the integration of engineered systems with the human body.
Rowan grew up in Tampa, Florida. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University, where she also conducted research on proteins engineered to elicit specific immune responses. Rowan joined the Xia group in September 2026 as a Research Technologist. She is interested in the design of nanomaterials for targeted drug delivery in cancer and other pathologies.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Sophia Cheng was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She joined the Xia group in Fall 2026 and her research interests lie in the synthesis of biomaterials for tissue engineering.
VISITING GRADUATE STUDENTS
Xintong Huang was born in Anhui, China. She received her B.S. degree in chemical engineering from Xiamen University in 2021. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Tsinghua University, focusing on the continuous synthesis of metallic nanomaterials with controlled properties for electrocatalytic applications. In 2025, She joined the Xia Lab as a visiting student to expand her research training in the rational design and synthesis of functional nanomaterials for applications in catalysis and energy conversion.