NIU Chemistry Professor Tao Xu, a specialist in nanotechnology, has spent his entire career aiming to help ensure a brighter and more sustainable future for our planet.
Tao Xu
Xu is a recognized leader in three clean-energy research areas that are considered by some among the great challenges of this century: solar energy conversion and utilization, electrical energy storage, and electrochemical catalysis for conversion of carbon dioxide to fuel.
His work has garnered media attention from the likes of Scientific American and Popular Mechanics; resulted in 17 patents and 100 peer-reviewed publications in top scientific journals like Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; attracted nearly $4 million in federal funds for research projects; and honed the talents of NIU students who have gone on to become leading scientists in their own right.
“Clearly, Professor Xu is not a follower, but a true explorer, innovator and leader in science,” says Ling Zang, a professor at the University of Utah affiliated with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Nano Institute of Utah.
“He has made outstandingly original contributions and innovations in related areas of solar energy conversion, in energy storage and release, and in design of chemical catalysts. Each of these areas is a forefront area of contemporary energy science.”
For his internationally recognized scholarship, service within the NIU community and passion for helping students to succeed, the university has awarded Xu with its 2024 Board of Trustees Professorship. The professorship is the top university honor reserved for faculty members who demonstrate excellence in all facets of teaching, service, leadership and research or artistry.
The 18-year veteran professor has been highly decorated in the past. At NIU, Xu was awarded the Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professorship, Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award and Outstanding Mentor Award.
External recognitions include a National Science Foundation CAREER award—the funder’s most prestigious young researcher award. In 2022, NSF again honored Xu with a rare Special Creativity award, believed to be the first ever for an NIU researcher. He also has won two national R&D 100 awards, recognizing new commercial products, technologies and materials for their technological significance that are available for sale or license.
In the classroom, Xu teaches students ranging from undergraduates taking General Chemistry to post-docs. With young students, he uses demonstration experiments to forge crucial chemical concepts in students’ minds, connects chemistry to their everyday lives and exposes students to the latest cutting-edge breakthroughs.
To enhance engaged learning, Xu encourages students to form study groups.
“When students teach each other, they can achieve a better understanding of knowledge, and they feel they are not alone but ‘chemically bonded’ with each other and with the department,” he says.
Beyond his research, Xu has advocated for NIU and other Emerging Research Institutions at the federal level. He strongly supports inclusiveness in the research enterprise, particularly for women in chemistry, a field where they are underrepresented.
“Tao’s mentoring success of his graduate students is simply unmatched,” says Chemistry and Biochemistry Chair Victor Ryzhov. “Tao leads his (research) group by example, instilling a very hard-working culture through student engagement and constant striving for excellence as well as improvement among his students.
“Many if not all his graduate students get a chance at some stage of their doctoral research to work at Argonne National Laboratory, where Tao conducts much of his research,” Ryzhov adds. “This leads to exposure to state-of-the-art equipment and research projects that are on the very forefront of world science. This, in turn, leads to NIU graduate students being co-authors and even first authors on very high-profile publications.”
Xu spearheaded and developed a specialization in nanoscience within his department’s Ph.D. program. In all, 13 Ph.D. students have graduated under Xu’s advisory and gone on to impressive careers with the likes of Alcoa, Apple and Argonne National Laboratory. Nearly half of these Ph.D. graduates are women.
Former student Heather Barkholtz, now an assistant professor of Forensic Toxicology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, says Xu created a lab culture that made her feel supported and valued. He also stressed the importance of having professional goals, so Barkholtz’s graduate school experience could be as fruitful and tailored as possible.
“I was struck by his genuine interest in me and my goals. While other faculty were interested in what skills I could contribute to their lab, Tao was interested in what he had to offer me,” Barkholtz says, adding that she stays in touch with Professor Xu.
“His advice and encouragement continue to be something I value and seek.”
