I lead the development of collaborative research with industry and government sponsors, managing the Sinton research program.

Mohammad is a research associate, Industrial Fluid team leader, and lab manager at Sinton lab, boasting over 13 years of diverse experience in energy systems. His research concentrates on advancing thermofluids for renewables and electrification, with a keen interest in accelerating material screening and discovery using AI-aided high-throughput experimental platforms.

Lisa is the Executive Director for the CANSTOREnergy NFRF-T research program. Before joining the CANSTOREnergy team, she held successive roles at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she supported the co-creation of large-scale and multi-faceted partnerships between researchers and industry partners, managed the provincial partnerships portfolio, and acted as the Canadian lead for the Academic Industry Meeting Day (AIMday) program. She also previously held roles in research program administration at the provincial and national levels supporting collaborative neuroscience research. She received her BSc in Developmental Biology from the University of Toronto, MSc in Biology from York University, and her PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto.

Ray completed his Ph.D. (2024) at the SintonLab, University of Toronto, where his research focused on designing efficient systems for electrochemical CO2 capture and conversion. Beginning June 2024, Ray continues to his work with the group, serving as the Director of Electrocatalysis. In this role, he will help manage the electrocatalysis group and provide strategic advice.

Ian is a research associate and editorial manager at the Sinton Lab. He has previously worked as a multiplatform journalist at media outlets in Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. He holds an M.A. in international relations from the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.

Maryam completed her B.Sc. (2015) and M.Sc. (2017) in Chemical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology and her Ph.D. (2022) in Mechanical Engineering at University of Toronto. Her doctoral research centered around designing an ultrasonic inhaler to enhance asthma treatment. She used ultrasound waves to generate droplets of the correct size (~5 microns) for an effective asthma treatment and developed fundamental models to predict the behavior of liquids exposed to ultrasonic oscillations.

Maryam joined SintonLab in 2023 as a postdoctoral fellow. Her current research is focused on developing high throughput experimental methods to measure fluid properties for electric vehicle (EV) coolants.

Jiheon Kim received his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Seoul National University under the supervision of Prof. Taeghwan Hyeon. His Ph.D. research was in novel nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage applications. He joined the group in July 2022 as an A3MD postdoctoral fellow, and his current focus is on AI-accelerated catalytic materials discovery with high-throughput experimentation.

Jieyuan Liu received her Ph.D. (2023) in Materials science and Engineering at Beihang University, China. Her doctoral research centered on the application for hydrogen energy, including electrocatalysis (ORR, CO2RR, HOR etc.), proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and hydrogen storage. She is skilled at the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials, PEMFC device fabrication, and DFT simulation using VASP.

Jieyuan joined the Sinton Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in September 2023 and current research is focused on CO2 conversion.

Zunmin Guo obtain his Ph.D. (2022) in Advanced Functional Materials and Analytical Science from the University of Manchester, UK, supervised by Prof. Stuart Holmes. His Ph.D. studies mainly focused on membrane electrode assembly development in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells. After his Ph.D., Zunmin worked in Prof. Hyunjoo Lee's lab (KAIST) as a postdoctoral researcher to develop high-temperature CO2 reduction system. He joined the Sinton lab in September 2023 as a postdoctoral fellow focusing on CO2 capture and conversion.

Tanushree Ghosh received her PhD degree in 2023 from the Indian Institute of Technology Indore, India from the department of Physics under the supervision of Professor Rajesh Kumar. During her PhD she worked on Electrochromic materials and devices, largely studying and researching on their multi-functional applications. She has joined the group in November 2023 and will be working with the eDAC subgroup.

Hyeon Seok Lee completed his Ph.D. at Seoul National University under the supervision of Prof. Taeghwan Hyeon, focusing on the development of efficient catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen production and utilization. In January 2024, he joined the A3MD group as a postdoctoral fellow. His current research focus centers on the exploration of AI-accelerated materials discovery, with a primary emphasis on discovering novel electrocatalysts for reactions, including CO2/CO reduction and oxygen evolution reaction.

Hyun Sik received his Ph.D. under the guidance of Prof. Kijung Yong in August 2023 at POSTECH, South Korea. His prior research focused on developing novel photocatalysts for fuel production applications and studying charge transfer dynamics. He joined the group in Mar. 2024 as a postdoctoral fellow, co-supervised by Prof. Sinton and Prof. Sargent. His current research focuses on the design of electrocatalysts and electrochemical systems for CO2 reduction.

Dr. Barati earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Calgary in 2022. Her research has primarily focused on membrane treatment for selective separation. Her expertise spans from the study of flow in porous media to surface modification using nanotechnology, and designing membrane systems for water treatment.

In 2023, Dr. Barati joined the SintonLab as a postdoctoral fellow. In her new role, she will be spearheading research on the electrocatalytic reduction of flue gas to produce value-added products.

Qian Sun completed her Ph.D (2023) in School of Chemistry at University of New South Wales, where she also works as a postdoctoral fellow for six months. Her research mainly focuses on developing efficient single atom catalysts for CO2-to-CO and CO-to-acetate/C2+ electro-conversion. She obtained an Australia Government Research Training Program Scholarship and the Dean’s Award for Outstanding PhD Theses in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

In July 2024, Qian joined the SintonLab as a postdoctoral fellow with research interests in catalyzing electroreduction of CO2/CO to multi-carbon species (C2+).   

Jiexin Zhu received his Ph.D. (2023) in Materials science and Engineering at Wuhan University of Technology in Prof. Liqiang Mai's research group. His primary research lies in the field of electrocatalysis, with specific interests in CO2/CO reduction, methanol oxidation, and oxygen evolution reactions. His work emphasizes the control of the surface coordination environment of electrocatalysts and employs in-situ characterization techniques, including infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

 Jiexin joined the Sinton Lab in August 2024 as a postdoctoral fellow, co-supervised by Prof. Sinton and Prof. Sargent. His current research focuses on the design of electrocatalysts and electrochemical systems for CO2/CO reduction.

Zhizheng Wu received his Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Prof. Minrui Gao in June 2024, from the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China. His research interest is in the field of electrocatalytic conversion of small molecules. He is skilled at the synthesis of catalysts, development of in-situ characterization technologies and optimization of reaction devices. He joined the Sinton lab as a postdoctoral fellow in September 2024. His current research focuses on CO2 conversion.

Goutham Rangarajan completed his PhD (2023) in Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry from the University of Toronto, supervised by Prof. Ramin Farnood. His PhD research mainly focused on the development of nanoparticles for harvesting solar energy and developing catalytic processes for the selective upcycling of lignocellulosic wastes. After his PhD, Goutham was awarded the Climate Positive Energy Postdoctoral Fellowship to design photocatalytic systems for upcycling of polystyrene waste. He joined the Sinton lab in September 2024 as a postdoctoral fellow focusing on CO2 conversion.

Yangbo Ma received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Chemistry from City University of Hong Kong under the guidance of Prof. Zhanxi Fan in August 2024. Then he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Hong Kong under the supervision of Prof. Zhengxiao Guo. He joined the group as a Postdoctoral Fellow in March 2025, co-supervised by Prof. Sargent and Prof. Sinton. His research interests focus on electrochemical CO2 reduction and tandem catalysis.

Lei Wang received his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2025. His research focused on the functional design of nanomaterials and in situ multi-modal spectroscopic studies to uncover reaction mechanisms, involving CO2 reduction reaction, CO reduction reaction, and oxygen evolution reaction. In April 2025, he joined the Sinton Lab as a postdoctoral fellow, where his current research centers on the functional design of membrane electrode assemblies to promote large-scale CO2 conversion.

Shayan completed his master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Sharif University of Technology, followed by a Ph.D. in Chemistry at McMaster University, where his research focused on surface electrochemical reactions and charge transfer mechanisms of carbon-based electrodes in aqueous electrolytes. He continued at McMaster as a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Drew Higgins’ group, working on catalyst design and device prototyping for the co-conversion of CO2 to ethanol and the anodic upgrading of organic polyols (glycerol and ethanol) into value-added chemicals. Shayan is currently an NSERC postdoctoral fellow in the Sinton Lab at the University of Toronto, co-supervised by Dr. Drew Higgins at McMaster University. His current research focuses on developing catalysts and device prototypes for high-conversion electrochemical CO2 reduction to ethanol.

Behnam Nourmohammadi Khiarak received a B.Sc. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Tabriz, and an M.Sc. in Materials Science and Engineering from Sharif University of Technology. He then pursued a Ph.D. in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University under the supervision of Dr. Cao Thang Dinh. His research focused on CO2 electroreduction from gas-fed system and carbon reactive capture solutions, including reactor and catalyst design. In 2025, he joined Prof. Sinton’s Research Group as a Postdoctoral Researcher, where he is working on scaling the direct conversion of carbon capture solutions.

Kaige Shi obtained his B.S in Physics from the Southern University of Science and Technology and  Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Central Florida under the supervision of Prof. Xiaofeng Feng. His doctoral research focused on elucidating the effects of electrolyte cations and electrode wettability on the reaction kinetics and bubble dynamics of electrocatalytic reactions. He has expertise in fundamental mechanism research of the electrochemical process at solid-gas-liquid interfaces and in the use of scanning electrochemical microscope(SECM). In September 2025, he joined the Sinton Lab at the University of Toronto, where he is co-supervised by Dr. Weilai Yu and is currently working on electrochemical CO₂ conversion.

Panos completed his B.Eng in Chemical Engineering at McMaster University in 2020. During his undergrad he completed a thesis project investigating heavy metal contamination and treatment of drinking water in Indigenous Reserves in Southern Ontario. He also worked on a joint industrial research project with the University of Queensland developing an energy model for renewable power generation in the mining industry.

Panos joined the Sinton Lab in September 2020 in the Catalysis group. He is working on CO2 reduction through electrocatalysis.

Shijie’s research focuses on electrochemical systems for stable and efficient CO2 conversion. He performs COMSOL simulations to better understand chemical behavior and conducts membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) CO2 electrolyzer experiments to quantify the stability and production of C1 and C2 products.

Fatemeh Arabyarmohammadi earned a BASc in Chemical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (SUT) in 2019. Fatemeh then began a Master’s in Chemical Engineering-Biotechnology and received a MSc degree from SUT too. For the MSc thesis, Fatemeh worked on the theoretical investigation of coupled Microbial Electrochemical Cells in micro-sized systems and the assessment of biohydrogen generation.

Fatemeh joined the Sinton Lab in January 2022 as a Ph.D. student with a focus on Renewable Fuels / CO2 electrocatalysis.

Yongxiang Liang received his Ph.D. from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in December 2023 under the supervision of Prof. Jie Zeng, where his research focused on structure–performance relationships of catalysts in CO2RR and CORR. In August 2026, he joined the Sinton and Sargent Groups as a postdoctoral fellow, focusing on high-throughput electrocatalyst discovery.

Siyu completed her BASc in Engineering Science, Energy Systems, at the University of Toronto (2022). She joined the Sinton Lab as an undergraduate research student in summer 2021, and her undergraduate thesis focused on renewable hydrogen production using geothermal energy. As a MASc student, Siyu will be working on carbon dioxide reduction through electrocatalysis.

Chengqian holds a MASc from Queen’s University and a bachelor’s degree from Central South University, China. He developed his interests in catalysis during his master’s laying the foundation of a novel catalytic oxidation process for arsenic immobilization and devising an experimental setup for continuous mini-pilot scale testing of the technology. His research experience also includes investigation into the solvent-induced effects in acid-catalyzed C-O bond activation for synthesizing sustainable ether fuels.

Driven by a passion for doing interdisciplinary research in sustainable energy, Chengqian became part of the catalysis group of Sinton Lab in 2022, leveraging his expertise in heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemistry to develop electrocatalytic systems coupling novel anodic upgrading processes with reduction of CO and/or CO2. While outside the lab, he enjoys spending time with his pets and taking drone shots over the beautiful Don valley area.

Mackenzie completed his BASc in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto in 2023. His research background is in thermal catalysis, where he investigated the partial oxidation of methanol to dimethoxymethane on vanadia-based catalysts for applications in sustainable diesel synthesis. Pursuing his interest in energy and renewable fuels, Mackenzie joined the Sinton Lab in 2023 as part of the electrocatalysis group to produce high-value products from carbon dioxide.

Raylene Mitchell graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) degree from Memorial University in 2021 where many work opportunities and internships revolved around renewable technologies. She is passionate about technological solutions for northern regions in Canada. As an IBET Fellow, Raylene is also committed to interdisciplinary innovation.

In Fall 2023, Raylene joined the Sinton Lab at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Professor David Sinton. Raylene’s commitment to addressing the unique challenges of northern communities is at the forefront of her research goals.

Puhua holds his MASc from the State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing at the China University of Petroleum, along with a bachelor's degree from the same institution. His fascination with catalysis blossomed during his master's studies, focusing on catalytic transferring hydrogenolysis of bio-based reactants and modification of porous catalytic materials. His research experience also includes investigating the kinetics of C-C and C-H bond activation for upgrading light alkanes, process simulation, and life cycle assessment to promote sustainable energy solutions.

Motivated by his passion for innovative research in catalysis and sustainable energy, Puhua joined Sinton Lab in 2024. Here, he leverages his expertise in heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemistry to develop The Electrically-Powered Synthesis of Ethylene and Scaling for Ethylene electrolyzers and eDAC.

Haoyang joined Sinton Lab as an Undergraduate Thesis research student in 2023 summer. He completed his BASc in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto (2024) and then joined the industrial fluids ground as a MASc student. Haoyang specializes in Solid mechanical and Mechatronics system design. His role encompasses automating and integrating our current experimental setups tailored for thermal fluid screening and integrating efficient data management capabilities thereafter. Additionally, he will fortify the setup's adaptability to diverse materials while contributing to the collection of experimental data for different materials and their mixtures.

Yuxuan earned his B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from the Harbin Institute of Technology. During his undergraduate studies, he worked on a diverse range of research topics, including stretchable battery designs, non-noble-metal ORR catalyst designs, and lithium-O₂ battery systems.

In 2024, Yuxuan completed his M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto. During his M.Eng., he joined the Sinton Lab and started working on his Meng project, focusing on developing an efficient system to capture carbon dioxide from the ocean water. Yuxuan began his doctoral studies in September 2024. As a PhD student, he will continue his research on CO₂ capture and conversion through electrocatalysis.

Muhan Yu completed her BASc with honors in Mechanical Engineering in the University of Toronto in June 2024. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she explored a variety of research areas, ranging from 3D printer design to prosthetic thumb development. Muhan also gained valuable industrial experience during her co-op at Veoneer Canada, where she designed numerous assembly line fixtures. In September 2024, she began her doctoral studies as a direct-entry PhD student at SintonLab. As part of the ethylene subgroup, Muhan is dedicated to advancing cutting-edge systems aimed at enhancing conversion efficiencies for advanced chemical fuels.

Haoming completed his B.Eng in Mechanical Engineering at McGill University in 2024. In September 2024, he joined the Industrial Fluids group at the Sinton Lab, University of Toronto, as a M.Eng student. With a strong interest in the mechatronics and thermofluids fields, and hands-on experience in fuel cell and piping systems design, CFD airflow analysis, and control system development, Haoming is focused on designing the layout and the automation process for the self-driving lab (SDL) and conducting experiments.

Tarek Eid completed his B.Sc. in Energy Engineering at Ankara University in Türkiye, graduating first in his class. He has engaged in multiple distinct and impactful research experiences at Ankara University and Khalifa University. At Ankara University, he focused on the computational and machine learning-based optimization of small-scale wave energy systems. At Khalifa University, his work included the machine learning-driven inverse design of ionic liquids, leveraging ensemble deep learning models to predict the properties of over 300,000 ionic liquids. Additionally, he contributed to the development of solar-driven brine treatment systems for freshwater production and mineral recovery. These experiences reflect his commitment to advancing sustainable technologies for global challenges. 

In January 2025, Tarek joined the SintonLab at the University of Toronto as a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. His research focuses on the accelerated discovery of thermal fluids through high-throughput microfluidic testing and computational methodologies.

Rong completed her BASc in Chemistry at the University of Waterloo (2020) and earned her MASc in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto (2022). During her undergrad, she investigated CO₂ reduction mechanisms on alkaline electrocatalysts under Prof. Rodney Smith. In 2023, She worked as a research assistant in Prof. Geoffrey Ozin’s group, studying photocatalytic ethane dehydrogenation.

In Summer 2025, she joined the Sinton Lab as a PhD student and will be working with the ethylene/C3 subgroup. Rong is dedicated to developing state-of-the-art catalytic systems focused on enhancing conversion efficiencies for next-generation chemical fuels.

Rongyi received his bachelor's degree from China University of Petroleum (East China) and his master's degree in Power and Energy Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. During his master’s studies, he focused on CO₂ electrolysis and the design of high-performance flow fields for electrolyzers. By utilizing COMSOL and Fluent for multiphysics modeling and simulation, he investigated how different flow field structures influence mass transfer and reaction uniformity, aiming to enhance overall electrochemical performance. In addition, he was involved in the design and assembly of CO₂ electrolyzer stacks, gaining hands-on engineering experience with stack integration and system-level optimization. In the Fall of 2025, he joined the Sinton Lab as a PhD student and will be working with the eDAC group.

Rain completed his BASc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo in 2025. During his undergrad, he completed co-ops at various companies, with a focus on sustainability and energy. Following these work experiences, Rain joined the Sinton Lab in 2025 to further pursue his interests and passion for sustainable energy.

Weisong earned his B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Concordia University in 2025, graduating with distinction. During his studies, he gained hands-on experience in control systems, composite manufacturing, and mechatronics, including projects such as designing an omni-directional soccer ball launcher’s control system and developing an automated carbon-fiber winder for rocket engine components. He also completed internships at Tabiplast and Belden Inc., where he worked on process-control software, CAD/FEA optimization, and regulatory testing of fiber optic products and PVC piping. In Fall 2025, Weisong joined the Self-Driving Lab (SDL) at Sinton Lab, University of Toronto as a MEng student in MIE.

Ethan completed a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Honours Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario and Ivey Business School in 2025. For his undergraduate capstone project his team built a small direct air capture device which used 3D printed solid adsorbents. He also conducted a landscape study through the Ivey Business School focused on Canada’s circular economy.

Ethan joined the Sinton Lab in 2026.

Jacob completed his HBSc in Chemistry at the University of Toronto in 2023. His initial research focused on chemical activation using main group frustrated Lewis pair chemistry in Doug Stephan’s lab. Eventually, he turned to the synthesis of organic polymer materials, initially working on their potential use as photocatalytic materials under Dwight Seferos. Continuing with Dwight, during his PhD, he moved towards the synthesis of ionic polymer materials as catalyst binders and membranes for CO2 electrolysis. After Dwight passed away in 2026, Jacob joined the Sinton Lab in April 2026, co-supervised with Helen Tran in Chemistry, and continues the work he started on these materials. Jacob is also an executive member of the Green Chemistry Initiative at the University of Toronto, having served as a secretary and as seminar coordinator. Outside of the lab, Jacob enjoys cooking and baking, playing video games, making cocktails, and spending time with friends.

You (Sky) Wu graduated with an MEng degree from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London in 2026. His undergraduate thesis focused on in-situ characterization methods for solid sorbents.

Spencer joined the Sinton Group as a MASc candidate in September 2026. Prior to joining the lab, he spent three years as a Researcher at Hyundai Motor Company, where he worked on the development of vehicle closure mechanisms for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. During this time, he also spent several months in South Korea working with global engineering teams, gaining experience in international collaboration. His research in the Sinton Group focuses on accelerated fluid discovery using AI-driven, high-throughput experimental platforms and Self-Driving Labs.