Announcements

We are pleased to announce Dr. Jiahui Zhu as the winner of the Separations 2025 Young Investigator Award. The Separations Young Investigator Award was established in 2024 to acknowledge the achievements of young investigators in the field of separation science. All winners were chosen by the journal’s award committee.

Dr. Jiahui Zhu is an associate professor at Harbin Engineering University. As an early-career researcher focused on the design of functional adsorption materials and the separation and purification of uranyl ions, her academic work has consistently addressed fundamental challenges in separation science, namely efficiency, selectivity, and engineering application. In particular, Dr. Zhu’s core research is dedicated to tackling the highly challenging separation problem of efficient and selective uranium extraction from seawater.

We were honored to interview Dr. Jiahui Zhu and learn about her views and experiences in relation to scientific research and awards. The interview is summarized below:

1. Could you please share your current research direction and the latest progress?
Certainly. My current research focuses on extracting uranium from seawater, which is a critical step toward securing a long-term, sustainable fuel supply for nuclear energy. The concentration of uranium in seawater is extremely low (about 3.3 μg/L), making selective extraction a significant challenge. In terms of the latest progress, we have been developing high-performance adsorbents based on novel dioxin-linked polymer (PAE-CN), which has been synthesized from ellagic acid (EA) and tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile (TFTPN) via the Williamson ether synthesis method, followed by amidoximation modification to obtain the polymer adsorbent PAE-AO. The maximum adsorption capacity reached 436.68 mg/g at 25 °C, and the distribution coefficient for uranium in competitive ion experiments attained 4.9 × 10⁴ mL/g.

2. Could you please share the most impressive breakthrough in your research career, either in terms of ideas or research results?
The most impressive breakthrough in my research career came from a shift in thinking—instead of only pursuing higher adsorption capacity in the lab using simulated seawater with high uranium concentration, we decided to design materials that work efficiently under real, low-concentration, multi-ion competition conditions in natural seawater. Specifically, the natural material bamboo strips (BS) were utilized due to the flexibility and richness of various functional groups, and the amidoximized bamboo strips (AOBS) could be directly prepared by a simple one-step method. The AOBS maintained its initial stitchability through flexibility adjustment and was woven into a macro-shaped adsorbent (AOBS-M). After being placed in the Yellow Sea basin for 30 days, approximately 44.75 g of crude U(VI) was obtained, and it showed excellent selectivity for U(VI). The AOBS-M not only overcame the problem that the existing adsorption materials were difficult to achieve macroscopic large-area molding but also realized the flexibility adjustment during the modification process by controlling the reaction conditions and promoted the industrial development of U(VI) extraction from seawater.

3. What motivated you to pursue a career in academia?
I chose academia because I am deeply passionate about tackling challenging yet impactful scientific problems. Uranium extraction from seawater is exactly such a problem: technically demanding, yet its breakthrough would carry profound significance for global energy security and sustainable development. Beyond research, I greatly enjoy mentoring young students and watching them grow into independent critical thinkers. Academia grants me the intellectual freedom to follow my scientific curiosity while also allowing me to pass this spirit of exploration on to the next generation. 

4. What challenges have you encountered in your work, and how did you overcome them?
In my research on uranium extraction from seawater, I have faced two major challenges:
The first one is the ultra-low uranium concentration in seawater and the strong interference from coexisting ions, especially vanadium. Vanadium has a much higher binding affinity with common adsorbents than uranium, which greatly reduces the extraction efficiency and selectivity. To overcome this, my team and I designed and modified amidoxime-functionalized porous materials with precise pore structures and surface properties. By tuning the functional groups and material morphology, we significantly improved the selective adsorption of uranium and suppressed the interference of vanadium.
The second challenge is translating lab-scale achievements into practical marine applications. Many materials perform well in simulated seawater but fail to maintain stability and efficiency in real, complex marine environments. We addressed this by conducting field trials in actual seawater and continuously optimizing the material’s durability and reusability. We also simplified the preparation process to make the materials more scalable and cost-effective.
Through persistent experimentation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and iterative optimization, we gradually overcame these obstacles and made steady progress toward more practical uranium extraction technologies. 

5. Could you share your experiences of collaborating with the Separations journal?
I have established a very positive and constructive collaboration with Separations. Recently, I was invited to serve as a guest editor for a forthcoming Special Issue entitled “Advanced Materials for Heavy Metal Adsorption in Wastewater Treatment”.
This topic aligns very well with my own research on uranium extraction from seawater, as both fields focus on the design and application of high-performance adsorptive separation materials. Right now, we are still in the preparation and solicitation stage: we are finalizing the scope of the special issue, identifying leading experts in the field, and actively inviting high-quality contributions that cover novel material design, adsorption mechanisms, and practical applications in heavy metal removal and water remediation.
I greatly appreciate the professional support from the Separations editorial team throughout this process. The journal’s focus on both fundamental separation science and real-world environmental applications makes it an ideal platform for this special issue. I am looking forward to gathering cutting-edge research in this field and further promoting interdisciplinary exchanges through this collaborative effort. 

6. In your view, what are the most promising directions in your research that you are excited about?
I see two promising directions that I'm genuinely excited about:
First, molecularly designed adsorbents. Instead of traditional trial-and-error material development, we can now use computational modeling and AI to predict which functional groups and pore structures will work best for capturing uranium at ultra-low concentrations. This speeds up discovery significantly.
Second, real-world validation at scale. We've seen many promising materials fail when moving from the lab to the ocean. I'm excited about conducting larger-scale marine field tests—not just grams of material, but kilograms—to truly understand the engineering challenges. This bridge between materials science and marine engineering is where the real breakthrough will happen.
What excites me most is that these three directions are converging. In the next few years, I believe we will see a pilot-scale system that proves seawater uranium extraction can be both technically feasible and economically attractive. That keeps me very motivated. 

7. What advice would you give to early-career researchers or young scientists who are just starting their academic journey?
I would give three pieces of advice:
First, choose a meaningful but challenging problem. Don't just follow trends. Pick something that truly interests you and has real-world impact—even if it seems difficult. For me, seawater uranium extraction seemed almost impossible at first, but that's exactly why it's worth doing. The harder the problem, the more satisfying the progress.
Second, embrace failure as data. In research, most experiments fail. That's normal. Instead of getting frustrated, ask: what can I learn from this failure? Keep a detailed lab notebook, analyze why something didn't work, and use that knowledge to design the next experiment. Resilience is more important than intelligence in the long run.
Third, collaborate and communicate. Don't work in isolation. Talk to people from different fields—biology, engineering, oceanography—because the best solutions often come at the intersections. Also, learn to write and present well. Your brilliant idea means nothing if you can't share it effectively.
One bonus piece of advice: take care of yourself. Academia is a marathon, not a sprint. Balance work with rest, hobbies, and time with loved ones. A burned-out researcher is not a productive researcher.

8. Do you have any suggestions or advice for our journal?
If I may offer a few suggestions:
First, I hope the journal can continue to support interdisciplinary topics, especially those that connect separation science with environmental remediation, marine resource extraction, and heavy metal removal. These practical and strategic directions are growing rapidly, and more focus here will further enhance the journal’s influence.
Second, it would be great to provide more support for early-career researchers, such as special columns, publication fee waivers, or fast-track review for young scientists. This will help attract more innovative work from the next generation.
Third, I also suggest encouraging more application-oriented research, not only fundamental material design but also pilot-scale tests, real-scenario applications, and techno-economic analysis. This will make the published work more impactful for industrial and environmental practices.
Overall, I believe Separations is on a very promising path, and I look forward to seeing it become an even more leading journal in separation science and environmental engineering.