Jing Li Lab - Current Group Members
Gia Carignan
Ph.D. Student (2022 - Present)
Gia graduated from Stony Brook University with a B.S. in chemistry with departmental honors in 2021. Her undergraduate research focused on lithium deposition in rechargeable batteries and energy storage. She then entered the Ph.D. program at Rutgers University and joined Dr. Jing Li’s group where she will be focusing on the synthesis and characterization of inorganic-organic hybrid materials.
Yucong Xia
Ph.D. Student (2021 - Present)
Yucong Xia graduated from Wuhan University in China with a B.Sc. in Chemistry in 2020 and then joined Prof. Jing Li's group at Rutgers University-New Brunswick as a graduate student. He is now in his second year in the Ph.D. program with his research focusing on the structure design, characterization, and modification of multivariate metal-organic frameworks (MTV-MOFs) for separation and catalysis.
Jin Chen
Postdoc Associate (2024 - Present)
Jin Chen successively gained his B.Eng. in Material Science and Engineering, M.Eng. in Polymer Science and Engineering, D.Sc. in Inorganic Chemistry from Tianjin University, Zhejiang Univerisity and the University of Manchester, respectively. His previous work involved nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles and magnetic nanoparticles for biomedicine application, metal-organic framework materials with high proton conducting property. He is currently a postdoc in Prof. Jing Li's group. His current research interest is the design and synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid materials including framework materials for photonic and electronic applications
Yingtong Liu
M.S. Student (2025 - Present)
Yingtong Liu graduated from Xiamen institute of technology in China with a bachelor’s degree in new energy materials and devices. Now he is pursuing his master’s degree in materials science and engineering in Rutgers university, and he is working with Dr. Jin Chen on Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks in fuel cells.
Eashan Sandadi
M.S. Student (2025 - Present)
Eashan graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology in India with a B.Tech degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Petroleum Engineering. He joined Rutgers University in 2024 to pursue M.S. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. Currently a second-year student and joined Dr. Li's group in Summer 2025, where he is now working with Yucong Xia, researching flexible metal organic frameworks for hydrocarbon separation.
Scarlett Conroy
Undergraduate Student (2025 - Present)
Scarlett Conroy is a senior undergraduate student majoring in chemistry (ACS), and is looking to pursue a Ph.D. in graduate school. She is simultaneously researching inorganic-organic hybrid materials with Gia Carignan under Dr. Jing Li in the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, and battery innovation under Dr. Glenn Amatucci for the Energy Storage Research Group at the Material Science and Engineering Department.
Karim Farhat
Undergraduate Student (2025 - Present)
Karim Farhat transferred to Rutgers with an associates degree in chemistry and began working in Dr. Li’s group in the fall of 2025 during his senior year. He is majoring in chemical biology, and is working with Yucong Xia on metal-organic frameworks.
Weston Swallow
Undergraduate Student (2024 - Present)
Weston joined Rutgers and began working in Professor Li's group in the fall of 2024. He is majoring in chemistry and working with Dr. Jin Chen on metal-organic framework related projects.