Alumna receives award from Chinese government

By Erik Gomez, Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture intern

PULLMAN, Wash. – Fanglin Che, a recent Washington State University Ph.D. graduate in chemical engineering, has received an Excellent Self-financed Student Abroad Scholarship of $6,000 from the Chinese government.

The award honors Chinese students studying abroad who are selected through a rigorous process of evaluation by experts in China and the host country of their academic and research work.

Fanglin Che at WSU.

“This award confirms the hard work I have done throughout my Ph.D.,” Che said. “My success isn’t just a confirmation of my own work but also of those like my advisor and friends who helped me along the way.”

“She is very motivated and curious,” said her advisor, assistant professor Jean-Sabin McEwen. “She certainly deserves the award.” Che’s experimental collaborator was associate professor Su Ha from the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.

Che’s research focused on computational catalysis and using density functional theory to better understand and enhance the performance of a catalyst in an electrochemical environment. She has published seven publications in peer-reviewed journals.

After graduating from WSU in November, she received a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto where she will continue work in computational and hands-on experimental catalysis.