Prof. Fanglin Che is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Her research focuses on AI-guided multi-physics and multi-scale simulations for the rational design of energy-efficient technologies. She specializes in cutting-edge catalytic systems, including electric field-enhanced catalysis, electrocatalysis, plasma-assisted catalysis, and microwave catalysis—all poised to transform the future of energy and chemical processes. The novelty of Prof. Che’s work is the integration of interpretable, physics-informed machine learning with advanced computational models to uncover the underlying mechanisms of structure-sensitive catalysis. Her group aims to accelerate sustainable materials and process design, particularly through the utilization of earth-abundant resources.

Following her Ph.D. at Washington State University under Prof. Jean-Sabin McEwen (2012- 2016), Prof. Che pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto (2017–2018) with Prof. Edward Sargent, where she explored computational electrocatalysis. She continued her postdoctoral training at the University of Delaware (2018–2019) in Prof. Dionisios G. Vlachos’s lab, focusing on computational fluid dynamics for chemical systems.

Dr. Che began her independent academic career as an Assistant Professor at UMass Lowell (2019–2025), before joining WPI in August 2025 as an Associate Professor.

Her pioneering contributions were recognized with the 2023 DOE Early Career Award in Catalysis Science, granted by the Basic Energy Sciences Division. Her research is supported by major agencies including the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Naval Research, UL Research Institutes, and the U.S. Army. Prof. Che’s work bridges theoretical innovation and real-world application, addressing urgent challenges in sustainability and energy transformation.