Yan Xia Promoted to Full Professor of Chemistry

Yan Xia
Stanford Chemistry
By
Department of Chemistry, Stanford University

Yan Xia has been promoted to Full Professor of Chemistry, effective September 1st.

Professor Xia studied chemistry at Peking University (B.S., 2002), McMaster University (M.S., 2005), and Caltech (Ph.D., 2010). Following his doctorate, he worked at Dow Chemical and MIT before joining the Stanford chemistry faculty in 2013. His longstanding research interest is the creation of novel organic materials at the interface of chemistry and materials science.

The Xia Group integrates catalysis, organic and polymer chemistry, and advanced characterization to design, control, and study molecular and macromolecular structures with tailored conformations, nanostructures, properties, and functions. Advanced, function-driven synthetic methods and rational molecular design underpin their development of new soft materials with unusual properties for applications in energy-efficient molecular separations, sustainable plastics, electronics, and therapeutics. The group has developed diverse chemistries to access molecular ladder materials with high microporosity, antiaromaticity, and stimuli-responsive behavior; polymers with controlled microstructures and programmed degradation; and dynamic polymer networks and hydrogels.

Among his many honors and distinguished awards, he's the recipient of the:

  • ACS Global Outstanding Student and Mentor Awards in Polymer Science and Engineering, ACS (2025)
  • CAPA Distinguished Faculty Award, Chinese-American Chemistry & Chemical Biology Professors Association (2025)
  • Tosoh Award for Excellence in Polymer Science, Tosoh (2022)
  • Sloan Research Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (2019)
  • Cottrell Scholar Award, Research Corporation for Science Advancement (2017)
  • Thieme Chemistry Journals Award, Thieme Chemistry (2017)
  • CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (2016)
  • 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, 3M (2016)
  • Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Army Research Office (2015)
  • Terman Fellowship, Stanford (2014)

Professor Xia will give a seminar titled "High Performance Polymer Materials Enabled by Overlooked Chemistry" at 3 PM on Friday, March 20th, in the Sapp Lecture Hall.