Dr. Luis Villalobos Vazquez De La Parra

Biography

Luis Francisco (Paco) Villalobos is an Assistant Professor in the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Southern California. His research interests focus on understanding the mechanisms of selective transport of molecules and developing novel membrane technologies for sustainable production of critical materials and energy. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in 2017. His postdoctoral experience includes work at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) with a fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation, as well as Yale University. In 2022, he was the recipient of the North American Membrane Society Young Membrane Scientist Award. The Villalobos group focuses on developing energy-efficient membranes by unraveling intricate molecular transport mechanisms. Leveraging expertise in materials science and chemical engineering, they manipulate materials on scales from the atomic level to the macroscopic level, creating ultrathin, highly selective films. The group holds a special interest in two-dimensional materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, aiming to generate membranes of unparalleled thinness down to a single atom. Moreover, they explore nanoporous materials and covalent metal-organic frameworks for outstanding tunability and a broad range of functional polymers, which hold potential for large-scale membrane production.

Research Interests

Awards