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 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
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.
Hanna Beese
Hi, I’m Hanna! I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Vienna, as well as the joint Master’s program in Green Chemistry at BOKU, TU Wien, and the University of Vienna. I joined the Chin group in August 2025 to carry out my Master’s thesis in collaboration with UpNano, where I focus on surface modifications for 3D-printed materials. I’m passionate about sustainable chemistry and excited to contribute to materials research that connects innovation with practical applications.
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.
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.
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.
Alejandra Durán Balsa
Hello! I am Ale. I graduated from Northeastern University with a BSc in Chemistry and completed my MSc also in Chemistry at the University of Basel. During my master thesis I worked on synthesis optimization, surface chemistry and mechanistic studies of copper nitride nanocrystals. I joined the Chin group in November 2022 as a PhD student where I am working on E-field assisted MOF assembly.
Lingcong GE
I am Lingcong GE. During the undergraduate, I was major in Materials Chemistry in Changchun University of Science and Technology. Then I got my master degree from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where I was major in Chemical and Bio-molecular Engineering. Now, in 2022, I join this group, and I will focus on the NHC-stablized nanoparticles' synthesis and applications in the future.
Tanja Eder
Hi! I am Tanja. I completed my bachelor’s as well as my master’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Vienna. During my studies my research interests shifted from organic chemistry towards smart materials which led me to join Prof. Chin’s research group in 2020 on a FEMtech internship. I rejoined the group in 2022 to continue my previous work for my master's thesis and successively started my PhD project in cooperation with the Vienna-based LCM company Lithoz. Currently I am working on tailoring interfacial properties and anti-adhesion strategies.
Constantin Eisen
I completed my undergrad studies at Freie Universität Berlin (BSc.) and the University of Vienna (MSc.) with a focus on NHC chemistry towards coordination and nano chemistry. Currently, I am starting my PhD as a shared project between the University of Vienna and A*Star Singapore on the bio-sensing applications of ligand stabilized gold nanomaterials
Wenyi Zeng
Hello, my name is Wenyi and come from Nanjing, China.
In 2019, I completed my B.Sc. degree in Chemistry at the University of Freiburg, Germany. Then, I moved to Munich, where I finished my master’s study in Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). During my master's, I attended a Swiss-European Mobility Program and completed my master’s thesis at ETH Zurich.
In July 2022, I will join the Chin group as a PhD student. My research work will be cooperated with A*STAR in Singapore and focus on the synthesis of MOF materials for biomedical applications.
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).
