Senior scientist Yi Shouliang has returned to China to take up a new role at Sichuan University, after permanently leaving the US where he previously worked at the federal government’s Department of Energy.
The career decision, which follows this year’s escalating Sino-US tensions, saw him leave his academic role as adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh after less than 12 months and dissolve his commercial ventures.
Previously, he was a principal scientist and project leader at the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) where he focused on the Water-Energy Programme but resigned in June 2023 after five years at the helm.
He then founded American Sustainable Membrane Technology LLC, serving as its CEO.
At NETL, Yi’s research focused on developing novel membranes and adsorption materials for the Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) programme and water management initiatives.
The circumstances surrounding his departure remain undisclosed and there are no listed records of Yi as a chief researcher on the DOE and NETL’s official websites, despite his lengthy tenure. Currently, his name only appears in patent filing and project proposals.
