Chengcheng Fang, an assistant professor in the Michigan State University Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, has been selected for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) 2026 Early Career Research Program.
Fang is among 67 scientists selected for the program, which announced $96 million in combined research support. The program supports early-career researchers pursuing fundamental scientific discoveries. University awards typically provide approximately $875,000 over five years, although selections remain subject to award negotiations.
Fang's proposed project, "Field-Assisted Metastable Phase Formation in Complex Oxides via Internal Oxygen Chemical-Potential Gradients," will investigate new ways to control how advanced materials form.
The research focuses on complex oxides, materials containing oxygen, and other elements whose atomic arrangements influence their properties. Some potentially useful arrangements, known as metastable phases, are difficult to produce or maintain.
Fang’s research will explore how controlling oxygen during rapid synthesis could make it easier to produce these materials.
“Many functional oxides have promising properties, but making them can be challenging,” Fang said. “Traditional methods often require tens of hours at high temperatures in carefully controlled oxygen environments, yet some useful structures, such as metastable phases, remain difficult to produce. We want to understand how controlling oxygen during rapid synthesis can help form these structures in minutes or even seconds. Ultimately, we hope to make materials synthesis more predictable and energy-efficient, opening new possibilities for batteries and other energy technologies.”
The project builds on Fang's broader research in advanced materials, energy storage and manufacturing, including work on next-generation battery technologies.
“We are incredibly proud of Chengcheng and excited to see her research recognized by the Department of Energy,” said John Papapolymerou, dean of the College of Engineering. “Her work will help us to better understand the materials that will shape future technologies. This is a prime example of the curiosity, dedication and talent of the Spartan Engineering community.”
Fang joined MSU in 2020 and earned her doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of California San Diego in 2019. Her previous honors include recognition on MIT Technology Review's global Innovators Under 35 list in 2022 and MSU's Corporate Connector Award in 2025.
Written by Austin J. Witt
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page