Aisulu Aitbekova

Aisulu is a Kavli Nanoscience Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in the Harry Atwater Group at the California Institute of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. Aisulu received her M.S. in Chemical Engineering Practice from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. Her PhD work focused on developing novel catalytic materials. By synthesizing catalysts with well-defined properties (size, shape, and composition) and tracking their dynamic nature using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, she studied how a property of a catalyst affects its performance and used this knowledge to develop more efficient materials for thermocatalytic CO2 conversion and automotive exhaust emission control. Now, as a postdoctoral member in the Liquid Sunlight Alliance DOE Energy Hub, Aisulu develops CO2-to-liquid solar-driven processes through catalyst synthesis, device fabrication, and reactor engineering. Aisulu’s research has been recognized with several awards, including KNI Postdoctoral Fellowship, Melvin Klein Scientific Development Award, MIT Rising Star in Chemical Engineering, and American Associaton of University Women Internation Fellowship. ​

Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, 2021 ​

M.S.  Chemical Engineering Practice, MIT, 2016 ​

B.S.   Chemical Engineering, Nazarbayev University, 2015