Two Argonne scientists elected American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows

Each year, the AAAS Council awards distinguished scientists for their contributions to science.

Scientists Karen Mulfort and Di-Jia Liu of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have been honored as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 

This prestigious recognition is awarded to scientists, engineers and innovators for their significant contributions across various fields. The tradition of electing AAAS Fellows began in 1874, and newly elected fellows will be celebrated for their outstanding achievements at the ceremonial Fellows Forum held in Washington, D.C. on June 7, 2025.

Both Mulfort and Liu are chemists at Argonne. Mulfort, who leads the Solar Energy Conversion group, was recognized for ​“contributions to advancing the discipline of chemistry by advancing challenges related to the storage and conversion of energy and global environmental concerns.”

“It’s very humbling. This recognition wouldn’t have been possible without the supportive and collaborative team environment here at Argonne.” — Karen Mulfort, Argonne chemist

Her research focuses on developing innovative ways to harness sunlight for energy, much like the natural process of photosynthesis in plants. Mulfort and her team take inspiration from nature to design molecules and effective ways to assemble them to capture sunlight and convert it into usable energy and fuels. By using more common and affordable materials, such as copper, instead of rare and costly ones, her work addresses the issue of material scarcity in large-scale energy applications.

Reflecting on her election as a fellow, Mulfort said, ​“It’s very humbling. This recognition wouldn’t have been possible without the supportive and collaborative team environment here at Argonne.”

Liu, a senior chemist, was recognized for ​“distinguished contributions to electrocatalysis, green hydrogen production, CO₂ (carbon dioxide) conversion, fuel cells and nanomaterials.” An author of numerous publications, including six in Science and Nature family journals, and holder of 33 U.S. patents — four of which received R&D 100 awards — Liu has also played a key role in numerous DOE programs and industry partnerships. 

“Conducting cutting-edge research is truly a privilege and working at Argonne allows me to collaborate with the best minds and facilities around the world. This recognition is simply the icing on the cake.” — Di-Jia Liu, Argonne chemist

Liu’s research is centered on developing new electrocatalysts, which are materials that speed up chemical reactions that involve electricity. The goal is to make these reactions more energy-efficient and less expensive. One of his key innovations is using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These are structures made by combining organic molecules with metals, like building a scaffold. MOFs can be used to make electrocatalysts that are both highly efficient and long-lasting. This could potentially replace costly metals like platinum and iridium. Many research groups around the world are now using this approach for various applications, including fuel cells, water splitting, CO₂ conversion and metal-air batteries.

“Being elected as a fellow is a wonderful reaffirmation of our work,” Liu said. ​“I attribute it to the contributions of many postdocs and students on my team over the years. Conducting cutting-edge research is truly a privilege and working at Argonne allows me to collaborate with the best minds and facilities around the world. This recognition is simply the icing on the cake.”

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://​ener​gy​.gov/​s​c​ience.