[3] He became interested in science as a child, doing simple household experiments, and was supported by his high school chemistry teacher to pursue a career in research.
[3][7] While studying electrocatalysis in Chang's lab, he became aware of the use of porous materials like covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to absorb carbon dioxide.
[8] In collaboration with the Yaghi group, Lin showed that porphyrin-containing COFs could catalyze the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO under applied current and in an aqueous environment.
[9][10] Lin began his independent career at Cornell University where his group's research has focused on the identification of novel synthetic pathways for medicinally relevant compounds.
[13][14] More recently, Lin's group has developed a method to directly couple alkyl halides using electrochemistry, providing a promising approach towards this difficult chemical transformation.