The Manthiram Lab has moved to Caltech!

TEAM
Meet our team of tinkerers, white-boarders, engineer-scientists, and experimental theorists.

Principal Investigator

Karthish Manthiram

Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
William H. Hurt Scholar
California Institute of Technology

B.S. Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, 2010
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2015
Postdoctoral Research Associate, California Institute of Technology

Karthish received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley. As a graduate student in Professor Paul Alivisatos’ group, Karthish developed transition-metal oxide hosts for redox-tunable plasmons and nanoparticle electrocatalysts for reducing carbon dioxide. During his postdoctoral research in Professor Robert Grubbs’ lab at Caltech, Karthish developed new anion-exchange ionomers. Karthish joined the MIT faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2017. In 2021, he moved to Caltech as a Full Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. The Manthiram Lab is focused on the development of heterogeneous electrocatalysts for the synthesis and functionalization of organic molecules using carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water, and renewable electricity. Karthish’s research has been recognized with several awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, DOE Early Career Award, Sloan Research Fellowship, 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers 35 Under 35, American Chemical Society PRF New Investigator Award, Dan Cubicciotti Award of the Electrochemical Society, and Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science. Karthish’s teaching has been recognized with the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, C. Michael Mohr Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, the MIT Chemical Engineering Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, and the MIT Teaching with Digital Technology Award. He serves on the Early Career Advisory Board for ACS Catalysis and on the Advisory Board for Trends in Chemistry, Chem Catalysis, and the MIT Science Policy Review.

Curriculum Vitae | Caltech Faculty Profile | Recent Press and Opinions

Videos: TEDx | National Academies CSR |  Global Food+ | MIT ILP CERAWeek Panel | Podcast | Online Teaching

Click on any lab member’s picture below to learn more about them!

Graduate Students

Postdoctoral Researchers

Undergraduates

Alumni

Postdoctoral Researchers

Wes Chang (2023) – Assistant Professor at Drexel University

Rachel Baker (2023) – Assistant Professor at Queens University

Hee Jo Song (2022) – Assistant Professor at Sejong University

Glen Junor (2021) – Program Manager at Sublime Systems

Kyoungsuk Jin (2020) – Assistant Professor at Korea University

Dengtao Yang (2020) – Assistant Professor at Northwestern Polytechnical University

Ruquan Ye (2018) – Assistant Professor at City Universy of Hong Kong

Minghui Zhu (2018) – Assistant Professor at East China Univeristy of Science and Technology

Graduate Students

Minju Chung (2023) – Postdoctoral Researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology

Joy Zeng (2023) – Postdoctoral Researcher at Harvard University

Joseph Maalouf (2023) – Senior Chemical Engineer at Lydian

Florian Grass (2023)

Kindle Williams (2022) – Postdoctoral Researcher at Stanford University

Katie Steinberg (2022)

Nathan Corbin (2022) – Senior Research Scientist at Soane Technologies

Trent Weiss (2022)

Aditya Limaye (2022) – Machine Learning Engineering at Tyba

Sayandeep Biswas (2022)

Fang-Yu Kuo (2021)

Simar Mattewal (2021)

Nikifar Lazouski (2021) – Lead Innovation Scientist at Savor

Zachary Schiffer (2021) – Assistant Professor at Harvard University

Undergraduates

Yamilet Rivera Cintrón (2023)

Nuren Lara (2023)

Þorfinnur A. Herrmann Baldvinsson (2023) 

Erin McMurchie (2022)

Ygor Moura (2022) 

Alex Liu (2022)

Kelly Wu (2021)

Jessica Cohen (2020) 

Michal Gala (2020) – Graduate Student at Stanford University

Sierra Brooks (2019) – Graduate Student at the University of Texas at Austin

Group Awards

We are proud of the accomplishments of our group members during their time in our lab:

2023          

Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Fellowship (Jeff Dubose)

GRS Electrochemistry Co-Chair (Joy Zeng)

CCE Chair’s Council Fellowship (Michael Yusov)

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (Thu Ton)

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (James Wang)

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (Channing Klein)

2022               

ECS Energy Technology Division Graduate Student Award (Zachary Schiffer)

AIChE CRE Travel Award (Minju Chung)

Resnick Pioneer Postdoctoral Fellowship (Jeff Dubose) 

Chen Postdoctoral Scholar Innovator Grant Award (Jeff Dubose)

Center for Environmental Microbial Interactions Fellowship (James Wang)

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (Emma Cosner)

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (Spencer Delgado)

2021                

Beckman Fellowship (Wes Chang)

MIT Society of Energy Fellows (Joy Zeng)

MIT Chemical Engineering Dow Travel Award (Joy Zeng)

MIT ChemE Rising Stars (Joy Zeng)

MCSC Impact Fellowship (Glen Junor)

2020                

Rock Award  (Kindle Williams)

MIT ChemE Individual Citation  (Kindle Williams)

Teaching Development Fellowship (Joy Zeng)

MIT Society of Energy Fellows (Zachary Schiffer)

2019

Mathworks Engineering Fellowship (Joy Zeng)

Stanford Knight-Hennessey Scholar (Michal Gala)

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (Katie Steinberg)

Kokes Award for the 26th North American Catalysis Society Meeting (Zachary Schiffer)

AIChE Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Travel Award (Zachary Schiffer)

2018               

William C. Rousseau Award in Leadership and Ethics in Chemical Engineering Practice (Kindle Williams)

2017

MIT Presidential Fellowship (Joy Zeng)

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (Nikifar Lazouski)

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (Aditya Limaye)

Kwanjeong Fellowship (Minju Chung)

2016

MIT Presidential Fellowship (Zachary Schiffer)

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (Zachary Schiffer)

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (Nathan Corbin)

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Karthish (PI): 626-395-3140   /  karthish@caltech.edu / Spalding 225

Martha (Admin): 626-395-2423 / martha@cheme.caltech.edu / Spalding 208

Caltech | Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering