Dr. Joseph Hupp is a distinguished scholar and the Morrison Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University where he has established himself as a leading figure in molecular photochemistry and materials science. Born on March 23 1957 in Cuba New York he earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Houghton College in 1979 before completing his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Michigan State University in 1983. Following his doctoral studies he conducted postdoctoral research at Purdue University and Northwestern University before joining the faculty at Northwestern in 1986 having been recognized with the prestigious NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award that same year. His early career trajectory positioned him at the forefront of molecular photochemistry and materials science setting the stage for decades of groundbreaking contributions to energy conversion and storage research.
Dr. Hupp's pioneering work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of light-induced electron-transfer reactions and their application in renewable energy technologies with his research spanning from fundamental mechanisms of molecule-powered solar cells to the design and synthesis of novel light-harvesting and photocatalytic materials. His scientific contributions have been recognized through an impressive citation record of over 131575 citations establishing him as one of the most influential researchers in his field and earning him designation as a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher from 2014 to 2022. His innovative approaches to creating artificial enzymes for catalytic applications and developing metal-organic frameworks for energy conversion have opened new pathways for sustainable energy solutions with his work appearing in premier journals including the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Energy Environmental Science. The transformative nature of his research has earned him the George S Hammond Award from the Inter-American Photochemical Society in 2019 for his comprehensive contributions across multiple subdisciplines of photochemistry.
As a senior leader in the chemical sciences community Dr. Hupp was elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021 reflecting the broad impact of his work beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. He has served in influential editorial roles including as Editorial Board Chair for Energy Environmental Science where he has helped shape the direction of publishing in sustainable energy research. Throughout his career he has mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have gone on to establish their own successful careers in academia and industry perpetuating his legacy of scientific excellence. Currently serving as the Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University Dr. Hupp continues to advance the frontiers of molecular materials design for energy applications with his laboratory remaining at the cutting edge of research on next-generation photocatalytic systems and molecular frameworks for sustainable energy conversion.
