Yong Wang, Regents Professor and Voiland Distinguished Professor in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, has been named to the National Academy of Engineering.
Wang was recognized with the honor for his work in advancing catalyst discovery, design, and reaction engineering for energy and environmental applications.
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer, according to the academy’s announcement. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering practice, research, or education”, “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or development/implementation of innovative approaches to engineering education” or “engineering leadership of one or more major endeavors.” NAE members are among the world’s most accomplished engineers from business, academia, and government.
“I am incredibly proud to be Washington State University’s own in receiving this honor,” said Wang. “This recognition is not just mine but a testament to WSU and everyone I have had the privilege of working with here.”
This recognition is not just mine but a testament to WSU and everyone I have had the privilege of working with here.
Yong Wang, Regents Professor and Voiland Distinguished Professor
Washington State University
Wang is widely recognized for his pioneering work in developing novel catalytic materials and reaction engineering to tackle energy and atom efficiency challenges in converting carbon sources — including fossil fuels, biomass, carbon dioxide, and plastic waste — into fuels and chemicals with minimal environmental impact.
A WSU alumnus who received his MS and PhD in chemical engineering, Wang has been a faculty member at WSU since 2009. He also holds a joint appointment with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where he is acting director of the Institute for Integrated Catalysis.
“Yong has done tremendous work in understanding the catalysts that are critically important in our everyday lives to improving energy efficiency and preserving our environment,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz. “While he has contributed significantly to the field, we are so proud that he has also helped to position WSU as a national leader in pioneering advancements in catalyst development that truly benefit society.”
Besides authoring more than 450 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals including Science, Nature, Nature group journals, Agewandt, and Journal of the American Chemical Society, Wang is the inventor on 287 issued patents including 111 issued U.S. patents.
Wang is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Royal Society of Chemistry, National Academy of Inventors and a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences. In the past two years, he has been recognized as a highly cited researcher among the top 1% by citations in his field by the analytics company, Clarivate.
