About

Dr. Yushan Yan is the Henry B. du Pont Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Founding Director of Center for Clean Hydrogen at the University of Delaware. He is also the Cofounder of RepAir, and a Board Director of the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2). He previously held the position of Founding Associate Dean for Research and Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware, Department Chair of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of California Riverside, and Senior Staff Engineer and Project Leader at AlliedSignal.
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Dr. Yan is a world-renowned hydrogen expert. His research focuses on green hydrogen, fuel cells and carbon capture using polymer hydroxide exchange membranes. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to electrochemical engineering, catalysis, and materials. His other recognitions include receiving the R. H. Wilhelm Award for Chemical Reaction Engineering, the Braskem Award for Excellence in Materials Science and Engineering, the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Carl Wagner Memorial Award, the Energy Technology Division Research Award from the Electrochemical Society and the Donald Breck Award from the International Zeolite Association.
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Dr. Yan is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Inventors, and the Electrochemical Society. He is also a highly cited researcher by Web of Science.

He received his BS in Chemical Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

Anil is the Director of Workforce Development at the Center for Clean Hydrogen, University of Delaware. Prior to this, Anil worked at General Motors in several roles with increasing responsibilities in the areas of Engine and Battery R&D, Technology Commercialization & Licensing, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells. While at GM, Anil founded the GM R&D Makerspace for GM employees to network, develop IP and build prototypes. He has authored 15+ patents/applications and published 15+ journal/conference papers. Anil earned his MBA at Indiana University Kelley School of Business, his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, and his BSc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Anil is passionate about building things that people can touch and feel to help increase their knowledge, understanding, and skills, so they can eventually have their own ‘aha moments’ and provide humanity with the insights needed to create a better future.

Julie joined the Center for Clean Hydrogen in February 2024 as a Senior Grants Analyst. She began at the University of Delaware as a research administrator in 2016 and became a Certified Research Administrator in 2017. For more than 20 years, Julie did grant writing for a variety of nonprofit organizations, including those focused on education, the arts, literacy, youth, historical preservation, veterans, mental wellness, and more. She earned a BA in advertising from the University of Kentucky.

Karen is the Director of Partnerships at the Center for Clean Hydrogen, University of Delaware. Prior to this, Karen worked at Evoqua Water Technologies; first as a Director in the Corporate Development and M&A team and then as Director, Digital Innovation. She led the team that launched new tech-enabled services for Evoqua’s industrial customers including the award-winning SophisTM Digital Services. Prior to Evoqua, Karen was the Director of New Ventures IoT at MachineQ, a division of Comcast Corporation. Karen earned her MBA at the University of Cape Town (South Africa). She completed her PhD in marine ecology at the University of Southampton (UK) and her BSc in marine biology at the University of Liverpool (UK). She also completed an entrepreneurship fellowship at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.