Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at UCSD; Computational and Theoretical Chemist

Joined August 2022
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Wanlu Li retweeted
UC San Diego Students Learn HPC Skills via SDSC's Expanse - A college student views molecular analysis simulations on a laptop while taking notes. ... Led by Wan-Lu Li, an assistant professor in the Aiiso Yufeng ... - ift.tt/TisqEjv
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24 Oct 2025
New in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.! Our UCSD theoretical team, in collaboration with KAUST experimental team, uncovers how Biδ⁺–PVDF interfaces reorganize water to stabilize *OCHO and enhance CO₂→formate with >90% selectivity. 🔗 doi.org/10.1002/anie.2025161…
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20 Sep 2025
🚨 New in J. Phys. Chem. C! We show how applied potential electrolyte cations (Li⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺) tune hydrophobic hydration at Cu–water interfaces. These changes reshape interfacial H-bond networks, shift cavitation free energies (0.1–0.5 eV), and modulate electrocatalytic pathways. Hydration isn’t passive—it’s a tunable lever for selectivity. 🔗 doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c0…
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20 Sep 2025
🚀New in Adv Intell Discov! 🌐 C8 aromatic separation is one of the toughest petrochemical challenges—similar size/boiling points make xylenes nearly inseparable. 🚀 We built a topology-aware ML framework (using persistent homology) to screen 8,437 MOFs. ✨ Topological descriptors boost accuracy (R² > 0.93) ✨ Reveal ~2.43 Å “aromatic traps” for π–π recognition ✨ Identify LUYBIS: water-stable, scalable, cost-competitive ➡️ A new blueprint for rational MOF design in industrial separations. Read more👉advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley… #MOFs #MachineLearning #Topology #SustainableChemistry
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25 Apr 2025
🚨New in PCCP! Tiny changes, huge effects: Just 5% DMSO reshapes guest encapsulation thermodynamics in M₄L₆ nanocages. A THz, NMR, & AIMD deep dive into solvent-driven entropy control in supramolecular catalysis. 🧪🔬 📄 doi.org/10.1039/D5CP00661A #SupramolecularChemistry #Catalysis #THzSpectroscopy #HostGuest

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11 Apr 2025
🚀 New in J. Chem. Theory Comput.: We present the Strategic Escape (SE) algorithm – a fast, symmetry-guided structure search method that outperforms traditional Basin-Hopping by 2.3×! Explore boron, metal, and binary clusters with SDGMS: 🔗 doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.4c0… #CompChem #GlobalOptimization #ClusterChemistry
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🎉 Excited to share our latest work published in JCTC! We developed #TinkerModeller, an efficient and user-friendly software tool to streamline building biological systems for polarizable force fields in Tinker simulations. Key highlights: ✅ Easy conversion from classical MD to polarizable force fields ✅ Ultra-fast electric field (EF) postanalysis ✅ User-friendly Python interface for customizable molecular modeling & analysis Check out our open-source tool and tutorial: 🔗 GitHub: github.com/WanluLigroupUCSD/… 📖 Tutorial: tinkermodellor-tutorial.read… 📚 Paper: doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.4c0… #MolecularDynamics #AMOEBA #PolarizableForceFields #EnzymeCatalysis #ComputationalChemistry @JChemTheory @ACSPublications

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Excited to announce our next DigCat Global Workshop on Feb 7! 🌟 Join us as Prof. Wan-Lu Li @WanluLi_Lab (University of California San Diego) shares her cutting-edge work on materials/catalysis theory and computational methodology. Register now: digcat.org
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🚀 Thrilled to announce our latest research in @ScienceAdvances! We've unveiled the unique structure of the Bi₁₈⁻ cluster, showcasing its remarkable resistance to oxidation despite its odd oxidation state. Explore the potential of bismuth nanostructures with groundbreaking properties! #ClusterScience #TheoreticalChemistry #Nanotechnology science.org/doi/full/10.1126…

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Wanlu Li retweeted
Thank you @WanluLi_Lab for visiting WSU and giving interesting seminar on Ln/An doped boron clusters!!! Keep up great work!
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28 Oct 2024
Our department reception will be held as part of the AIChE Annual meeting on October 28 at the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC), Room 31AB, from 7:15-9:15pm. In addition to hors d'oeuvres and beverages, we will have a poster session showcasing research representing different groups in the department.  This is the first time in recent memory that the AIChE meeting is in San Diego, which happens to coincide with the recent wonderful developments in the department. We hope to see you there for a celebration with the AIChE community!
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18 Oct 2024
🚀 Breakthrough in Hydrogen Energy! Our latest study unveils Ru nanoparticles encapsulated by defective TiO2 that dramatically enhance hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions in alkaline conditions! ⚡ Key Highlights: 1. 23.2x more active than Ru/C in HOR 🥇 2. Robust anti-CO poisoning resistance 💪 3. Overpotential of 21 mV at 10 mA/cm² for HER ⚙️ This new catalyst holds great potential for AEMFCs and water electrolysis! 🌱🔋 Check out the full study here: 🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/… #HydrogenEconomy #Catalysis #GreenEnergy #Electrochemistry

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What a fantastic day at the 7th SoCal TheoChem Symposium, back at its birthplace, @UCSanDiego🎉🎉 Proud to have been part of the organizing team this year and to witness such inspiring talks and poster presentations. Also, a special moment for the Li group-our first unofficial meet-up! Exciting things ahead! @UCSDJacobs @UCSDChemBiochem @UCSDPhysics @NANO_UCSD @ucsd_yuen @PaesaniLab
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Wanlu Li retweeted
Today, the SoCal TheoChem Symposium 🖥️ returned to @UCSanDiego, where it all began 8 years ago, and it was a huge success! 🎉 Thought-provoking talks, an exciting poster session, and great discussions all around. Big congrats to our own #pirate grad students Hilliary Frank & Henry Agnew for being among the winners of the best poster awards! 🏅👏 See everyone next year at @UCIChemistry! @UCSDPhySci @UCSDChemBiochem @NANO_UCSD @ucsd_yuen @WanLuLi6
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29 Sep 2024
Excited to share our latest study on the catalytic mechanism of norcoclaurine synthase (NCS) in THIQs biosynthesis! We uncover key roles of E103, M183, & L76 in the reaction pathway, identify the rate-limiting step, & reveal dual transition states. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs…
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29 Sep 2024
Ever wondered about the oxidation states, stability, electronic structures, and chemical bonding patterns in AnB₈⁻ clusters (An = Ac, Pa, Bk, Md, No)? Could actinide borozene compounds adopt a monovalent oxidation state of I? Find out in our recent work!pubs.rsc.org/en/content/arti…
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29 Sep 2024
Ever wondered what ϕ-type bonding involving nf (n = 4, 5) orbitals looks like? In our recent work, we've disclosed the ϕ···ϕ bonding between two 5f orbitals, facilitated by B₆ group orbitals in the hexa-boron diuranium inverse sandwich structure U₂B₆. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs…
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