Suong Nguyen
Biography
Su was born and raised in Da Nang, Vietnam. She moved to the United States in 2013 to pursue her undergraduate studies at the University of Mississippi. In 2022, she completed her PhD in Organic Chemistry in the laboratory of Prof. Robert Knowles at Princeton University. For her dissertation, she developed light-driven methods to (1) construct aliphatic C–N bonds through olefin hydroamidation, (2) convert low-value biomass into high-value chemical feedstocks, (3) chemically recycle plastic wastes and develop new sustainable plastics, and (4) covalently attach target molecules to the diamond surface for applications in nanoscale sensing.Following her doctoral studies, Su joined the group of Prof. Jeremiah Johnson at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Schmidt Science Postdoctoral Fellow. At MIT, she has worked onvarious research topics, including (1) molecular strategies to enhance the toughness and tearing energy of polymer networks, (2) new ligand design for synthesizing and stabilizing gold nanoparticles for bio-applications, and (3) sustainable commodity plastics.
In March 2025, Su joined the Institute of Chemicals Science and Engineering (ISIC) at EPFL as aTenure-Track Assistant Professor, where she will lead the Laboratory of Synthetic Polymer Chemistry.
Education
Schmidt Science Postdoctoral Fellow
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2022 - 2024
Ph.D.
Princeton University
2017 - 2022
B.S.
University of Mississippi
2013 - 2017
Publications
Selected publications
Suong T. Nguyen; Lydia R. Fries; James H. Cox; Yuting Ma; Brett P. Fors; Robert R. Knowles |
Chemical Recycling of Thiol Epoxy Thermosets via Light-Driven C–C Bond Cleavage |
Suong T. Nguyen; Elizabeth A. McLoughlin; James H. Cox; Brett P. Fors; Robert R. Knowles |
Depolymerization of Hydroxylated Polymers via Light-Driven C–C Bond Cleavage |
Lila V. H. Rodgers*; Suong T. Nguyen*; James H. Cox; Kalliope Zervas; Zhiyang Yuan; Sorawis Sangtawesin; Alastair Stacey; Cherno Jaye; Conan Weiland; Anton Pershin; Adam Gali; Lars Thomsen; Simon A. Meynell; Lillian B. Hughes; Ania C. B. Jayich; Xin Gui; Robert J. Cava; Robert R. Knowles; Nathalie P. de Leon |
Diamond surface functionalization via visible light–driven C–H activation for nanoscale quantum sensing |
Suong T. Nguyen; Philip R. D. Murray; Robert R. Knowles |
Light-Driven Depolymerization of Native Lignin Enabled by Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer |
Suong T. Nguyen; Qilei Zhu; Robert R. Knowles |
PCET-Enabled Olefin Hydroamidation Reactions with N-Alkyl Amides |
Suong T. Nguyen; Christopher M. Brown; Wenxu Zhang; Landon J. Kilgallon; Jeremiah A. Johnson |
N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Based Copolymers for Templated Synthesis and Stabilization of Gold Nanoparticles |
Suong T. Nguyen; Thomas L. Ellington; Katelyn E. Allen; John D. Gorden; Arnold L. Rheingold; Gregory S. Tschumper; Nathan I. Hammer; Davita L. Watkins |
Systematic Experimental and Computational Studies of Substitution and Hybridization Effects in Solid-State Halogen Bonded Assemblies |
Suong T. Nguyen; Arnold L. Rheingold; Gregory S. Tschumper; Davita L. Watkins |
Elucidating the Effects of Fluoro and Nitro Substituents on Halogen Bond Driven Assemblies of Pyridyl-Capped π-Conjugated Molecules |
Research
We are currently building a multidisciplinary group of researchers who are passionate about chemical reactions and materials science. Our lab aims to leverage cutting edge ideas in synthetic organic chemistry to develop polymers with novel architectures and properties, while at the same time taking inspiration from long-standing challenges in materials science to explore new chemical transformations.
Teaching & PhD
Teaching
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering