Research Interests
Dr. Younan Xia is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, with equally-split appointments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He received a B.S. degree in chemical physics from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 1987, M.S. degree in chemistry from University of Pennsylvania (with Alan G. MacDiarmid) in 1993, and Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from Harvard University (with George M. Whitesides) in 1996.
His group invented numerous nanomaterials with well-controlled properties for use in applications related to plasmonics, electronics, display, catalysis, energy conversion, controlled release, drug delivery, nanomedicine, and regenerative medicine. Notably, the silver nanowires invented by his group were commercialized for the manufacturing of flexible, transparent, and conductive coatings key to applications such as touchscreen display, flexible electronics, and photovoltaics. His technology on the alignment of electrospun nanofibers was commercially used for multiple clinical products in regenerative medicine, including those for the management of surgical and trauma wounds.
Xia has co-authored over 900 publications in peer-reviewed journals, together with a total citation of about 220,000 and an h-index of 223. He has been named a Top 10 Chemist and Materials Scientist based on the citation data. He has received many prestigious awards, including the Linus Pauling Medal (2024), ACS Award for Creative Invention (2023), MRS Medal (2017), ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials (2013), NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (2006), and NSF CAREER Award (2000).
Titles
- Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, Biomedical Engineering
- Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Affiliated Centers & Institutes
Education
- PhD, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 1996
- MS, Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 1993
- BS, Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, 1987
Recent Highlights
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February 5, 2026The translation into practical applications is a key part of Xia's work, which bridges the gap between laboratory research and real-world solutions, creating nanomaterials that benefit society.