Publications
Inspiration-Synthesis-Innovation
Principal Investigator
Ioannis D. Spanopoulos PhD
Assistant Professor
Professional Appointments
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Assistant Professor, Departments of Chemistry & Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida (08/2021 - present)
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Research Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University (04/2021 – 07/2021)
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Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University (12/2016 – 03/2021)
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Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete (12/2015 – 11/2016)
Bio. Ioannis (Yannis) holds a BSc. degree in Chemistry and a MSc. degree in Environmental Chemistry and Technology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the latter under the supervision of Prof. Michael Scoullos. In 2015 he acquired his PhD. degree in Materials Chemistry from the University of Crete, under the supervision of Prof. Pantelis N. Trikalitis working on the development of Metal Organic Frameworks for gas storage and separation applications. In 2016, he joined the research group of Prof. Mercouri G. Kanatzidis at Northwestern University as a postdoctoral fellow, working on the design and synthesis of perovskite materials for optoelectronic applications. In 2021, he began his independent academic career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of South Florida. Yannis has received multiple awards and honors, including the 2020 IIN Outstanding Researcher Award from the International Institute for Nanotechnology, the 2022 ACS PRF Doctoral New Investigator Research Award, the 2024 DOE Early Career Research Program (ECRP) Award, the 2024 High Impact Practices (HIPs) Excellence Award, the 2025 Global Excellence in Research Award, and the 2025 Outstanding Research Achievement Award from USF. He was recognized as an Emerging Investigator from the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, a Rising Star from Advanced Optical Materials and ACS Organic & Inorganic Au, a Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) and is the author of over 100 publications across multiple disciplines, with more than 9,500 citations. Research at the Spanopoulos Group focuses on implementing molecular and crystal engineering to design and synthesize next-generation, multi-functional materials for medical, energy, and environmental applications. The group recently reported two new families of materials, the Porous Metal Halide Semiconductors (PMHSs) and the crystalline Fullerene-based Metal Halide Semiconductors (FMHSs).
Awards & Honors
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2026, Rising Stars in Advanced Optical Materials.
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2026, Early Career Scientists in Structural Science, IUCr.
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2026, Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, USF.
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2025, Rising Stars in ACS Organic & Inorganic Au.
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2025, Outstanding Research Achievement Award, USF.
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2025, Global Excellence in Research Award, USF.
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2025, Research.com Rising Stars Award.
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2024, DOE Early Career Research Program (ECRP) Award.
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2024, Emerging Investigator, Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
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2024, Top Scholar by ScholarGPS, top 0.5% of all scholars worldwide (prior 5 years).
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2024, High Impact Practices (HIPs) Excellence Award, USF.
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2024, Full member of Sigma Xi , The Scientific Research Honor Society.
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2023, Highly Cited Researcher for the Year 2022 (single-year results based on Clarivate).
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2023, Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM).
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2022, ACS-PRF Doctoral New Investigator Award.
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2021, CIRTL Associate, SEARLE Center, Northwestern University.
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2020, IIN Outstanding Researcher Award, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University.
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2019, SPIE.FOCUS: Light and Matter, award for best oral presentation.
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2013, 6th Panhellenic Symposium on Porous Materials, award for best oral presentation.
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Anand Prakash Tiwari PhD
PhD. in Chemistry, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea (2017)
MSc. in Materials Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India (2010)
BSc. in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Avadh University, Ayodhya, India (2007)
I earned my Ph.D. from Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea, specializing in 2D materials for energy storage and conversion applications. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at KAIST, I explored novel 3D nanopatterning of group-III derivatives for electrocatalytic applications and Li-ion batteries. At Dartmouth College, my work focused on 3D printing of ceramic 2D materials (MXene) for electrochemical biosensing and electrocatalytic applications. Driven by a passion for advancing renewable energy solutions and sustainable technologies, my research bridges nanomaterials, energy storage, and cutting-edge fabrication techniques to develop next-generation energy devices.
Graduate Students
Ali Azmy
BSc. in Materials Science
University of Science and Technology (UST) at Zewail City (2021)
I am Ali Azmy, and I am from Egypt. I obtained my BSc. degree in Materials Science from UST-Zewail City in Egypt (2021). Part of my former research experience was related to the adsorption of cationic dyes on water stable MOFs. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD. degree at USF in the Spanopoulos Group.
Alissa Anderson
BA. in Chemistry,
Minors in Biology and Biomedical Physics
University of South Florida (Spring 2022)
I am currently a PhD student in the Spanopoulos group at the University of South Florida, interested in inorganic synthesis of low-dimensional materials and applied spectroscopy. As an undergraduate, I studied Janus modifications of 2D nanosheets, 2D metals, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), and a variety of synthetic and analytical techniques.
Kamaleldeen Nassar
BSc. in Materials Science
University of Science and Technology (UST) at Zewail City (2021)
My name is Kamal. I am from Egypt. I obtained my BSc. degree in Materials Science from UST-Zewail City in Egypt in 2021. I have always been interested in functional materials and their applications, especially catalysis. I am currently pursuing my PhD. degree at USF in the Spanopoulos Group.
Neelam Tariq MSc
MSc. in Chemistry
Lahore University of Management and Sciences (2018)
BSc. (Hons) in Chemistry
Government College University Lahore (2016)
Lahore, Pakistan
I am Neelam Tariq from Pakistan. I got my master's degree from LUMS. My research was focused on designing catalysts for electrochemical reactions. Here at USF, I am pursuing my Ph.D. in the Spanopoulos Group.
Mina Bagherifard Sharabiani MSc
MSc. in Organic Chemistry
Sharif University of Technology (2019)
BSc. in Pure Chemistry
Sharif University of Technology (2017)
Tehran, Iran
I am Mina Bagherifard, and I am from Iran. I got my bachelor’s degree in pure chemistry and my master’s degree in organic chemistry at Sharif University of Technology. I have worked on polymer chemistry, and I have designed smart photo-responsive drug carriers, oil absorbents, and catalysts. I am pursuing my PhD. Degree at USF in the Spanopoulos Group.
Magdy Elolimy
BSc. in Materials Science
University of Science and Technology (UST) at Zewail City (2023)
I am Magdy Elolimy, I am from Egypt. I obtained my BSc. degree in Materials Science from UST-Zewail City in Egypt . My former research experience was in Electrocatalytic application of Metal-Organic Frameworks and metal complexes in water oxidation. Now, I am pursuing my PhD degree at USF at the Spanopoulos Group.
Andrea Woods
BSc. Environmental Science and Policy,
Minor Chemistry
University of South Florida (2024)
My name is Andrea Woods, and I am a Florida native. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in the Spanopoulos Group, with an interest in the design of materials to obtain innovative solutions for imperative environmental and energy applications. I am particularly drawn to porous materials, primarily for gas separation and storage, as well as heavy metal remediation.
Ioannis Gkikas MSc
MSc. in Biological Inorganic Chemistry,
University of Ioannina (2024)
BSc. in Chemistry,
University of Ioannina (2022)
My name is Ioannis (Yiannis) Gkikas and I am from Greece. I got my bachelor’s degree in chemistry and my master’s degree in Biological Inorganic Chemistry, at the University of Ioannina. My background research was focused on Metal-Organic Framework synthesis, characterization and application on water remediation.
Katelyn Williams
BSc. in Chemistry,
Minor in Mathematics
University of Florida (2026)
My name is Katelyn Williams, and I am a lifelong Floridian. While obtaining my bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida, I studied surface organometallic chemistry and the development of well-defined low-valent niobium catalysts for methane activation. Now, I am pursuing my PhD in the Spanopoulos Group at the University of South Florida.
Research Interns
Daria M. Konovalova
BSc. in Biomedical Sciences
University of South Florida (Spring 2022)
My name is Daria Konovalova, and I am from Ukraine. I graduated from the University of South Florida in Spring 2022 with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. I am a research intern in Dr. Spanopoulos' group, where we are working on hybrid semiconductors. In the future, I intend to become a medical doctor and continue participating in research for innovative and environmentally friendly materials with multiple applications.
Michelle Rojas
BSc. in Biomedical Sciences
University of South Florida (Spring 2025)
I graduated from USF spring of 2025 with my Bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences. My goal is to go to medical school to become a gynecologist oncologist. I have passion for advancing women's health and hope to bring new strategies to improve the health outcomes across diverse communities!
Undergraduate Students
Avery Dobberfuhl
BSc. in Chemistry,
Minor in Physics
University of South Florida (Spring 2027)
My name is Avery, and I’m currently a junior at USF pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry. I have a strong interest in materials science, particularly in optical materials for alternative energy applications. After completing my degree, I plan to continue my studies by pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry or materials science.
Brandon A. Nieten
BSc. in Physics
BA. in Chemistry
Minor in Mathematics
Judy Genshaft Honors College
University of South Florida (Spring 2028)
I am pursuing a dual degree in Chemistry and Physics with a minor in math. I have a lot of fish and coral. I want to work in energy production or storage (nuclear or battery engineering). I love to go camping, hiking and spend time outdoors.
Hannah Ehrlich
BSc. in Chemistry
University of South Florida (Spring 2028)
My name is Hannah and I am a Florida native working towards my Bachelors degree in chemistry at USF. I have always enjoyed a good puzzle and chemistry fulfilled this in an applicable way for me. I hope to gain valuable research experience from the Spanopoulos lab that will help guide me to decide how to use my degree.
Duc Khanh Duy Nguyen
BSc. in Chemistry
University of South Florida (Spring 2028)
My name is Duc Khanh Duy Nguyen. I’m a sophomore in the B.S. Chemistry major at University of South Florida. I’ve developed a strong interest in organic chemistry, particularly in understanding reaction mechanisms and how molecular structure influences reactivity. I’m excited to join the lab to strengthen my synthetic skills and gain meaningful hands-on research experience. After graduating, my goal is to apply to graduate programs in organic chemistry, where I can continue developing as a researcher and contribute to innovative chemical discoveries.
High-school Students
Anshul Shah
Carrollwood Day School (Class of 2026)
I’m Anshul Shah, a rising freshman at Carrollwood Day School, in Tampa, Florida with a passion for Public Service and Entrepreneurship. I co-founded an organization which advocates for foster children on Capitol Hill and have received 2 Presidential Gold Service Medal Awards. I have a passion for entrepreneurship and created both an Escape Room business and a product which helps protect electric cars from dangerous substances. My music and athletic life and my academics helps me stay balanced and curious. I approach new environments with respect and a willingness to contribute meaningfully where I can.