Yijiao is the Chair of Macquarie University (MQ) Women in Engineering, Co-Direactor of MQ-Jilin University Joint Research Centre for Green Catalysis, and Chief Investigator of ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub (ITRH) and MQ Sustainable Energy Research Centre. Since joining MQ as Senior Lecturer in 2014, she has secured competitive research grants from the ARC ITRH, Rio Tinto, JITRI, ARC DPs, the EU H2020 etc. Currently Yijiao is leading a research group with 1 postdoc, 4 PhD students and 5 UG thesis students. Her research interests mainly focus on the development of better thermal-, photo-, and electro-catalytic systems for green chemical processes, renewable energy production and environmental protection. She has developed various in situ and operando spectroscopic techniques including NMR, EPR, IR, UV-Vis and Raman for achieving breakthroughs in catalysis research. She is an Associate Editor of Energy and Fuels (ACS Publications) and Carbon Capture Science and Technology (Elsevier), the Editorial Advisory Board Member of the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering and Scientific Reports, and Guest Editor of the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Catalysis Today, and Journal of Physical Chemistry C. She also serves on the ARC College of Experts.

Selected Publications

Names underlined are students/postdoc under Yijiao's supervision

* indicates the corresponding author

1. A. Marianov, A. Kochubei, S. Gu, Y. Jiang*, Charge transfer mechanism in oxygen reduction over Co-porphyins: single-site molecular electrocatalyst to macromolecular framework, ACS Catalysis, 12 (2022) 8610-8622. doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.2c00847
2. S. Gu, A. Marianov, Y. Jiang*, Covalent grafting of cobalt aminoporphyrin-based electrocatalyst onto carbon nanotubes for excellent activity in CO₂ reduction, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 300 (2022) 120750. doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2021.120750
3. A. Marianov, A. Kochubei, T. Roman, O. Conquest, C. Stampfl, Y. Jiang*, Resolving deactivation pathways of Co porphyrin-based electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction in aqueous medium,  ACS Catalysis, 11 (2021) 3715-3729. doi: 10.1021/acscatal.0c05092
   
4. X. Yang, T. Kan, A. Kheradmand, H. Xu, V. Strezov, A. Yu, Y. Jiang*, Tunable syngas production from two-stage sorption-enhanced steam gasification of sewage sludge, Chemical Engineering Journal, (2020) 126069. doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2020.126069
5. Z. Wang, T. Li, Y. Jiang, O. Lafon, J. Trebosc, A. Baiker, J. Amoureux, J. Huang, Acidity enhancement through synergy of penta- and tetra-coordinated aluminum species in amorphous silica networks, Nature Communications, 225 (2020). doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13907-7
6. A. Marianov, Y. Jiang*, Covalent ligation of Co molecular catalyst to carbon cloth for efficient electroreduction of CO₂ in water, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 244 (2019) 881-888. doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.11.084
7. Y. Zhu, T. Wan, X. Wen, D. Chu, Y. Jiang*, Tunable Type I and II heterojunction of CoO_x nanoparticles confined in in g-C₃N₄ nanotubes for photocatalytic hydrogen production, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 244 (2019) 814-822.  doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.12.015
8. Z. Wang, L. O'Dell, X. Zeng, C. Liu, S. Zhao, W. Zhang, M. Gaborieau, Y. Jiang, J. Huang, Insight into tri-coordinated aluminium species on ethanol-to-olefin conversion over ZSM-5 zeolites, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 58 (2019) 2-10. doi: 10.1002/ange.201910987 
9. Z. Wang, J. Huang, R. Amal, Y. Jiang*, Solid-state NMR study of photocatalytic oxidation of acetaldehyde over flame-made F-TiO2 catalyst, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 223 (2018) 16-21. doi: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2017.04.011
10. F. Wang, Y. Jiang*, D. Lawes, G. Ball, C. Zhou, Z. Liu, R. Amal, Analysis of the promoted activity and molecular mechanism of hydrogen production over fine Au-Pt alloyed TiO₂ photocatalysts, ACS Catalysis 5 (2015) 3924-3931. doi: 10.1021/acscatal.5b00623
11. F. Wang, Y. Jiang*, A. Gautam, Y. Li, R. Amal, Exploring the origin of enhanced activity and reaction pathway for photocatalytic hydrogen production on Au/B-TiO₂ catalysts, ACS Catalysis, 4 (2014) 1451-1457. doi: 10.1021/cs5002948
12. Y. Jiang, R. Amal, Selective synthesis of TiO₂-based nanoparticles with highly active surface sites for gas-phase photocatalytic oxidation, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 138-139 (2013) 260-267. doi: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2013.02.026
13. Y. Jiang, J. Scott, R. Amal, Exploring the relationship between surface structure and photocatalytic activity of flame-made TiO₂-based catalysts, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental126 (2012) 290-296. doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2012.07.027 
14. Y. Jiang, J. Huang, B. Kasumaj, G. Jeschke, M. Hunger, T. Mallat, A. Baiker, Adsorption-desorption induced structural changes of Cu-MOF evidenced by solid state NMR and EPR spectroscopy, Journal of the American Chemical Society 131 (2009) 2058-2059. doi: 10.1021/ja8088718
15. Y. Jiang, M. Hunger, W.  Wang, On the reactivity of surface methoxy species in acidic zeolites, Journal of The American Chemical Society 128 (2006) 11679-11692. doi: 10.1021/ja061018y

• Heterogeneous catalysis, Photocatalysis, Electrocatalysis, Environmental catalysis, In situ spectroscopic techniques
• Renewable energy, Green chemical processes, Solar fuels, Carbon dioxide capture and utilisation, Nitrogen fixation, Biomass utilsation, Air pollution control 

Yijiao has supervised to completion 17 HDRs and 43 Engineering thesis students. 

Current HDR Students (Primary Supervisor)

Mr. Amanj Kheramand (S1 2019), PhD student

Ms. Alena Kochubei (S2 2020), PhD student

Mr. Wending Gu (S1 2022), MRes2+PhD student

Ms. Xiuping Liao (S2 2022), PhD student

Current Research Associates 

Dr Aleksei Marianov (May 2020) ARC DP-funded RA

Dr Weibing Liang (Feb 2021) Visiting ARC DECRA Fellow 

Mr Wenjie Yang (July 2020) Visiting PhD student 

Current Undergraduate Thesis Students (Primary Supervisor)

S2 2022: Joel Sayed, Chathushka Jayamanne, Tristan Downey, Ian Zhang, Lars Hoerzer

Completed HDR supervision

PhD: Yutong Zhao (2022), Shengshen Gu (2021), Wenwen Zhang (2021, Vice-Chancellor's Commendation), Haimei Xu (2020), Xiaoxia Yang (2020), Aleksei Marianov (2019), Yuxiang Zhu (2018), Dedong He (2017), Cameron Fletcher (2017), Fenglong Wang (2016), Minsu Jung (2015), Zichun Wang (2015)

Master by Research: Zhiwei Shen (2022), Harry O'Donnell (2021), Alena Kochubei (MRes, 2020, Executive Dean's Commendation for Academic Excellence),   Amanj Kheradmand (HD, 2018), Simone Brennan (2015)