Dr. Tang was originally interested in environmental engineering when starting college at Carnegie Mellon University. Since many of her friends were studying chemical engineering, she decided to enroll in an introductory class. Her first class in chemical engineering was intellectually challenging and diverse, discussing the processes behind artificial kidneys, imitation meats, and recycling paper without bleach. She chose ChemE based on the variety and impact of topics on which chemical engineers can work.
In 2005, she interned at DuPont for the summer. Her project there was to model heat transfer in solar cells to improve their electrical efficiency. She enjoyed applying her classes to real-world problems, especially those in energy and renewables. Because others in her group had earned doctorates, she realized she would also need a PhD to advance her career.
In her first year of graduate school at UC Berkeley, Dr. Tang took a class on batteries. She enjoyed seeing how these devices apply thermodynamics, transport, and kinetics, the basic tools of chemical engineering analysis. Their applications to energy, renewables, and electric vehicles were compelling. Professor John Newman, her PhD advisor, focused on computations, but she soon discovered that simulations couldn’t answer many questions in her thesis research. As a result, she had to teach herself many experimental methods. Dr. Tang’s self-instruction prepared her for the role of professor. In her postdoc, she worked with Professor Thomas Jaramillo at Stanford University on fuel cell catalysis. Although the appointment was still in a chemical engineering department, the research involved many techniques and fundamentals from materials science.
Dr. Tang joined the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Drexel as an Assistant Professor in 2014. She continues her research on batteries, such as identifying the side reactions inside a battery that cause decay over time. She agrees that cellphones can overheat by storing them in pockets! Dr. Tang’s research also includes catalysis, the study of how molecular binding to surfaces affects the rate and selectivity of different reactions. Understanding these principles helps design surfaces that give desirable properties. Dr. Tang is thrilled to witness her PhD and undergraduate students in the lab grow intellectually through their research projects. Seeing students make progress through just one academic quarter is very rewarding.
Originally, Dr. Tang hails from West Chester, Pennsylvania, and enjoys the added benefit of being near family while working at Drexel. Her husband, also a chemical engineer, and many friends from graduate school work in the area due to the abundance of technology and pharmaceutical jobs here. As an environmentalist, she appreciates the fact that Philadelphia public transit eliminates the need to drive to work. Occasionally, she commutes via bicycle along Forbidden Drive in Fairmount Park, where she enjoyed the scenic view this fall. She is pleased to continue enriching student minds in Chemical Engineering at Drexel.