Group leader
Jia Min Chin (陈加敏)
Jia Min proudly hails from the tropical island of Singapore. For her PhD studies, she trained under the supervision of 2005 Nobel Laureate Professor Richard R. Schrock at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she studied N2 activation by Mo and W complexes.
After her studies, she returned to Singapore to serve at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR, where she helped to start the institute’s research on coordination polymers. In 2013, she set up and headed the Laboratory of Advanced Porous Materials at IMRE.
Her lab focused on the development of new porous materials such as coordination polymers or MOFs, understanding the self-assembly mechanisms of porous films, as well as studying new applications for soft porous materials such as dry liquids. In recognition of her research work, Jia Min was awarded the 2013 L’Oréal Singapore For Women In Science National Fellowship.
Jia Min joined the University of Hull’s Chemistry Department towards the end of October 2014.
In November 2019, she joined the University of Vienna as an Assistant Professor, and in November 2020, she was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant to carry out research on field-manipulation of MOF materials. Besides MOFs and colloidal materials manipulation, her current research interests are bio-inspired materials exhibiting special properties such as structural colour, high strength and toughness as well as self-healing capabilities.
Current group members
Postdocs
Amalia Rizki Fauziah
Hi there! ! I’m Amalia. I earned both my master and PhD from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), Taiwan. During my PhD I’ve worked on metal-organic framework (MOF)-based ion-selective membranes for osmotic energy generation. I currently joined Prof. Chin's group as a postdoctoral research assistant in September 2024, where I’m exploring on oriented MOF thin films.
Tolga Zorlu
Hello, I am Tolga. I completed my PhD degree at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in 2023. My previous research was focused on the development of advanced colloidal plasmonic nanosensors for SERS spectroscopy, and I extensively explored the utilization of metal-organic and covalent-organic frameworks, integrating them into plasmonic nanostructures to enhance sensitivity in both detection and catalysis studies. I joined the Chin group in December 2023 and am working on MOFs and COFs for different purposes.
PhD Students
Majid Moussaei
Hello, I am Majid, PhD student at the University of Vienna, where I work on advanced polymer nanocomposites for sustainable technologies. I received my B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Polymer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology, where I developed expertise in polymer synthesis and polymer nanocomposites for energy, biomedical, and water treatment applications. I joined the Chin research group in February 2026 and am excited to contribute to the development of advanced functional materials for technological challenges.
Amir Jalali Kandeloos
Hey, I am Amir. I completed both my master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Polymer Engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. Before joining the Chin group, most of my work was focused on the development of protective anticorrosive coatings. I also worked on employing the upconversion particles for the fabrication of radiation-curable composites. Another area of my previous research was photo-curable hydrogels/bioinks. I joined the Chin group in February 2024 and am working on coatings for hybrid anti-icing applications.
Martin Sahul
Hi, my name is Martin and I studied at Brno University of Technology, where I completed both my bachelor's and master’s degrees in chemistry and technology of materials. My previous research was focused on singlet fission and later on 3D printing of biomaterials. I’ve joined the Chin group in August 2023 and I will be focusing on growth of MOFs and COFs under an electric field.
Flora Schöfbeck
I am Flora, a student of the the inter-faculty master's program "Chemistry and technology of materials" at the Technical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna. I first joined the Chin-group in 2021, doing an internship on MOF applications for batteries together with the Erich-Schmidt-Institute in Leoben, Styria. Currently I am doing my master's project in the group together with the company Lithoz (specialized on 3D-printing of ceramic materials) where I am working on MOF growth onto alumina supports.
Gypsy the Lab Mascot
Born in Australia, Gypsy moved to Singapore where she lived for 4 years. Subsequently, she moved to the United Kingdom where she enjoys the temperate climate and long walks in the open spaces of the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. Besides being the lab mascot, she is also a massive diva princess and expects lots of worship, cushions (only soft ones, mind you), and chicken (although she really would prefer filet mignon).
