From a capture concept to an industrially credible route.
I evaluated hydrate formation conditions and promoters, helped shape a capture-to-mineralisation concept, and coordinated a complete tender submission.
View the full case studyWenxiu Wei 魏文秀
MSc Chemistry Researcher · CCUS
Open to funded PhD opportunities across CCUS · Available after July 2027
From evidence to better carbon systems.
I study how mechanism, material behaviour and process constraints can guide more controllable, energy-efficient approaches to CO₂ capture, utilisation and storage.
01
The thread
Three projects. One evolving way of thinking.
I did not begin with a fixed label for my research. I began with a habit: look closely, ask what causes the signal, and keep following the mechanism.
My undergraduate thesis taught me to move from molecular geometry to excited-state behaviour. An industrial CCUS collaboration then pushed me outward—from molecules to operating conditions, scale-up constraints and technical decisions. My current experimental work has brought me back to evidence: preparing samples, operating an RPO–CRDS system and deciding what temperature-resolved signals can genuinely support.
The scale has changed, but the logic has not. For doctoral research, I am seeking a CCUS-focused group where mechanistic reasoning, carefully designed experiments and rigorous analysis can address meaningful questions in carbon capture, utilisation or storage. I am open to different materials, processes and technical routes within that broader direction.
2021–2024Structure
DFT and TD-DFT photophysics
2025–2026System
Industrial CCUS route assessment
2026–NowSignal
RPO–CRDS and multi-evidence analysis
NextDesign
Lower-energy CO₂ capture and conversion
02
Selected research
Research shown through questions and evidence.
Each project states what I did, what the evidence shows, and where my responsibility ended.
Why do two related molecules relax differently after excitation?
I connected optimised geometries, orbitals, transition composition and decay-rate calculations to explain the photophysical behaviour of CMOM and CMNM.
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Turning temperature-resolved signals into defensible interpretation.
I independently prepare samples, operate RPO coupled to Picarro CRDS, and compare CO₂ and δ¹³C profiles across multiple evidence streams.
View the full case study03
Software & research tools
A practical toolkit from molecules to systems.
I use these tools across molecular modelling, data analysis, process evaluation, technical drawing and clear scientific communication.
Molecular modelling & visualisation
Structure preparation, molecular visualisation and computational analysis.
Analysis, simulation & access
Experimental plots, scripting, process simulation and computational access.
Technical drawing & visual communication
Chemical drawing, CAD and polished research graphics.
04
How I work
From uncertainty to a usable system
I learned to make the path when no template exists.
When our group entered a CHN Energy tender, nobody around me had completed this process before. I turned an unfamiliar call into a requirements map, tracked more than a dozen qualification documents, organised support and completed a 300-page submission within one month.
The lasting lesson was not only how to prepare a bid. I learned to report upward with judgement: solve what I can, identify what requires a supervisor’s decision, estimate the help needed, and make progress visible. Afterwards, I documented the workflow so the next person in the group would not have to begin from zero.
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PhD direction
I am seeking a CCUS project that connects fundamental understanding with practical performance.
01Capture
Materials, mechanisms and lower-energy separation or regeneration.
02Utilisation
Catalytic and integrated routes that turn captured CO₂ into useful products.
03Storage & systems
Durable storage, process integration and performance under realistic conditions.
Open to: materials-, process- or systems-focused research across carbon capture, utilisation, conversion and storage.
05
Background
Education, output and recognition.
MSc in Chemistry
Ocean University of China · expected 2027
First-author review manuscript
CO₂ hydrate formation mechanisms and promoter effects in deep-sea sedimentary systems.
First Prize · Oral Presentation
Chemistry & Ocean Future Scientist Forum · CCUS project presentation
BSc in Applied Chemistry
Shandong University of Technology · computational photophysics thesis
Outstanding Completion
Shandong Provincial College Students’ Innovation & Entrepreneurship Training Program · team member
Research conversation