PUBLICATIONS (After joining Texas Tech, corresponding author*)

57. Li, D., Wang, K., Liu, W., Wang, X., Li, Y., Fei, W., Li, Z., Shen, Y.*, & Huang, X.* 3-Dimensional nanoscale structure of polyamide nanofiltration membranes revealed by electron tomography. J. Membr. Sci. 735, 124531, (2025). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2025.124531)

56. Li, D., Liu, W., Wang, X., Lin, W., Zhai, J., Fan, H., Xiao, K., Wang, K., Li, Y., Jin, Y., Fang, J., Shen, Y.*, Elimelech, M.* & Huang, X.* Nodular networks in hydrated polyamide desalination membranes enhance water transport. Science Advances. 11, eadt3324 (2025). (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt3324)

55. Li, D., Zhai, J., Wang, K., Shen, Y.* & Huang, X.* 3-Dimensional Reconstruction-Characterizations of Polymeric Membranes: A Review. Environ. Sci. Technol. 59, 2891–2916, (2025). (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c09734)

54. Zhai, J., Balogun, A., Bhattacharjee, S., Vogler, R. J., Khare, R., Malmali, M., Deonarine, A. & Shen, Y.*Nanofiltration as pretreatment for lithium recovery from salt lake brine. Journal of Membrane Science710, 123150, (2024). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2024.123150)

53. Tesfamariam, E. G., Ssekimpi, D., Hoque, S. S., Chen, H., Howe, J. D., Zhou, C., Shen, Y. & Tang, Y. Isolation and characterization of pure cultures for metabolizing 1,4-dioxane in oligotrophic environments. Water Science and Technology 89, 2440-2456, (2024). (https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2024.139)

52. Abaie, E., Kumar, M., Kumar, N., Sun, Y., Guelfo, J., Shen, Y.* & Reible, D.* Application of β-Cyclodextrin Adsorbents in the Removal of Mixed Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. Toxics 12, 264, (2024). (https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12040264)

51. Abaie, E., Kumar, M., Garza-Rubalcava, U., Rao, B., Sun, Y., Shen, Y.* & Reible, D.* Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) and 1,4-dioxane kinetics and equilibrium adsorption studies on selective macrocyclic adsorbents. Environmental Advances 16, 100520, (2024). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2024.100520)

50. Li, D., Lu, R., Wang, K., Li, Y., Lin, W., Wang, X.-m., Shen, Y.* & Huang, X.* Neural Network-Assisted Data Processing Improved Tomography Characterizations of Reverse Osmosis Polyamide Layers. ACS ES&T Engineering, 4, 128–138 (2024). (https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.3c00078)

49. Shen, Y.* Beating natural proteins at filtering water. Science 376, 698-699, (2022). (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo2953)

48. Kim, J., Cestellos-Blanco, S., Shen, Y., Cai, R. & Yang, P. Enhancing Biohybrid CO2 to Multicarbon Reduction via Adapted Whole-Cell Catalysts. Nano Letters 22, 5503-5509, (2022). (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c01576)

47. Cestellos-Blanco, S., Chan, R. R., Shen, Y., Kim, J. M., Tacken, T. A., Ledbetter, R., Yu, S., Seefeldt, L. C. & Yang, P. Photosynthetic biohybrid coculture for tandem and tunable CO2 and N2 fixation. PNAS119, e2122364119, (2022). (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2122364119)

46. Li, D., Lin, W., Shao, R., Shen, Y., Zhu, X. & Huang, X. Interaction between humic acid and silica in reverse osmosis membrane fouling process: A spectroscopic and molecular dynamics insight. Water Research 206, 117773, (2021). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117773)

45. Abaie, E., Xu, L. & Shen, Y.* Bioinspired and biomimetic membranes for water purification and chemical separation: A review. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 15, 124, (2021). (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1412-8)

44. Su, Y., Cestellos-Blanco, S., Kim, J. M., Shen, Y., et al. Close-packed nanowire-bacteria hybrids for efficient solar-driven CO2 fixation. Joule 4, 800-811, (2020). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2020.03.001)

43. Yu, J., Xiao, K., Xue W., Shen, Y., et al. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy for characterization of organic matter in membrane bioreactors: Principles, methods and applications. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 14, 31, (2020). (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-019-1210-8)

42. Cestellos-Blanco, S., Zhang, H., Kim, J. M., Shen, Y. & Yang, P. Photosynthetic semiconductor biohybrids for solar-driven biocatalysis. Nat. Catal. 3, 245-255, (2020). (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-020-0428-y)

41. Tu, Y.-M., Song, W., Ren, T., Shen, Y., et al. Rapid Fabrication of Precise, High-Throughput Filters from Membrane Protein Nanosheets. Nat. Mater. 19, 347–354, (2020) (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-019-0577-z)

40. Song, W., Joshi, H., Chowdhury, R., Najem, J., Shen, Y., et al. Artificial Water Channels Enable Fast and Selective Water Permeation Through Water-Wire Networks. Nat. Nanotechnol. 15, 73-79, (2020).(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-019-0586-8).

39. Xiao, K., Han, B., Sun, J., Tan, J., Yu, J. Liang, S., Shen, Y.* & Huang, X.* Stokes Shift and Specific Fluorescence as Potential Indicators of Organic Matter Hydrophobicity and Molecular Weight in Membrane Bioreactors. Environ. Sci. Technol. 53, 8985-8993, (2019). (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b02114)

38. Shen, L., Jin, Zi., Xu, W., Jiang, X., Shen, Y., Wang, Y. & Lu, Y. Enhanced Treatment of Anionic and Cationic Dyes in Wastewater through Live Bacteria Encapsulation Using Graphene Hydrogel. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 58, 7817-7824, (2019). (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.9b01950)

37. Xiao, K. Shen, Y., et al. Correlating fluorescence spectral properties with DOM molecular weight and size distribution in wastewater treatment systems. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 4, 1933-1943, (2018). (https://doi.org/10.1039/C8EW00504D)

36. Xiao, K., Shen, Y.*, et al. Characteristic Regions of Fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix (EEM) to Identify Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Contents of Organic Matter in Membrane Bioreactors. Environ. Sci. Technol. 52, 11251-11258, (2018) (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b02684).

35. Song, W., Shen, Y., et al. Unique selectivity trends of highly permeable PAP[5] water channel membranes. Faraday Discussions 209, 193-204, (2018). (https://doi.org/10.1039/C8FD00043C)

34. Song, W., Lang, C. Shen, Y. & Kumar, M. Design Considerations for Artificial Water Channel–Based Membranes. Annu. Rev. Mater. Res. 48, 57-82, (2018). (https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-matsci-070317-124544)

33. Schantz, A., Ren, T., Pachalla, A., Shen, Y., et al. Porous Vesicles with Extrusion-Tunable Permeability and Pore Size from Mixed Solutions of PEO–PPO–PEO Triblock Copolymers. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics 219, 1700620, (2018). (https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201700620)

32. Lang, C., Shen, Y., et al. Creating cross-linked lamellar block copolymer supporting layers for biomimetic membranes. Faraday Discussions 209, 179-191, (2018). (https://doi.org/10.1039/C8FD00044A)

31. Culp, T., Shen, Y., et al. Electron tomography reveals details of the internal microstructure of desalination membranes. PNAS. 115, 8694-8699, (2018). (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1804708115, co-first author)

30. Shen, Y., et al. Achieving high permeability and enhanced selectivity for Angstrom-scale separations using artificial water channel membranes. Nat. Commun. 9, 2294, (2018). (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04604-y)

29. Ren, T. Erbakan, M., Shen, Y., et al. Membrane Protein Insertion into and Compatibility with Biomimetic Membranes. Advanced Biosystems 1, 1700053, (2017). (https://doi.org/10.1002/adbi.201700053)

28. Kumar, M., Culp, T. & Shen, Y. Water Desalination: History, Advances, and Challenges. Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2016 Symposium, (2017). (https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/23659/chapter/14)

27. Kowalik, M., Schantz, A. Naqi, A., Shen, Y., et al. Chemically specific coarse-grained models to investigate the structure of biomimetic membranes. RSC Adv. 7, 54756-54771, (2017). (https://doi.org/10.1039/C7RA10573H)

26. Xiao, K., Sun, J., Shen, Y., et al. Fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter as a function of hydrophobicity and molecular weight: case studies from two membrane bioreactors and an oxidation ditch. RSC Adv. 6, 24050-24059, (2016). (https://doi.org/10.1039/C5RA23167A)

25. Sun, Y., Shen, Y. et al. Multiple antibiotic resistance genes distribution in ten large-scale membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment. Bioresour. Technol. 222, 100-106, (2016). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.09.117, co-first author)

24. Mo, Y., Zhao, X. & Shen, Y. Cation-dependent structural instability of graphene oxide membranes and its effect on membrane separation performance. Desalination 399, 40-46, (2016). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2016.08.012)

23. Licsandru, E., Kocsis, I., Shen, Y., et al. Salt excluding artificial water channels reveal enhanced dipolar water and proton translocation. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 138, 5403-5409, (2016). (https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6b01811, co-first author)

22. Shen, Y., et al. Highly permeable artificial water channels that can self-assemble into two-dimensional arrays. PNAS. 112, 9810-9815, (2015). (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1508575112)

21. Sun, J. Xiao, K., Yan, X., Liang, P., Shen, Y., et al. Membrane bioreactor vs. oxidation ditch: full-scale long-term performance related with mixed liquor seasonal characteristics. Process Biochemistry 50, 2224-2233, (2015). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2015.09.010)

20. Grzelakowski, M., Cherenet, M. F., Shen, Y. & Kumar, M. A framework for accurate evaluation of the promise of aquaporin based biomimetic membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 479, 223-231, (2015). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2015.01.023)

19. Sun, Y., Shen, Y., et al. Linkages between microbial functional potential and wastewater constituents in large-scale membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment. Water Res. 56, 162-171 (2014). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.03.003, co-first author)

18. Erbakan, M., Shen, Y., et al. Molecular Cloning, Overexpression and Characterization of a Novel Water Channel Protein from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Plos One. 9, e86830 (2014). (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086830)

17. Xiao, K., Shen, Y., et al. A systematic analysis of fouling evolution and irreversibility behaviors of MBR supernatant hydrophilic/hydrophobic fractions during microfiltration. J. Membr. Sci. 467, 206-216 (2014). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2014.05.030)

16. Kaufman, Y., Grinberg, S., Linder, C., Heldman, E., Gilron, J., Shen, Y., et al. Towards supported bolaamphiphile membranes for water filtration: Roles of lipid and substrate. J. Membr. Sci. 457, 50-61, (2014). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2014.01.036)

15. Shen, Y., et al. Biomimetic membranes: A review. J. Membr. Sci. 454, 359-381 (2014). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2013.12.019, one of the most downloaded J. Membr. Sci. articles)

14. Sun, J., Xiao, K., Mo, Y., Liang, P., Shen, Y., et al. Seasonal characteristics of supernatant organics and its effect on membrane fouling in a full-scale membrane bioreactor. J. Membr. Sci. 453, 168-174, (2014). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2013.11.003)

13. Xiao, K., Shen, Y. & Huang, X. An analytical model for membrane fouling evolution associated with gel layer growth during constant pressure stirred dead-end filtration. J. Membr. Sci. 427, 139-149 (2013). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2012.09.049)

12. Shen, Y., et al. Improvement on Modified Lowry Method against Interference by divalent cations for soluble protein measurement in wastewater systems. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 97, 4167-4178 (2013). (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-013-4783-3)

11. Kumar, M., Shen, Y. & Saboe, P. Biological and biomimetic membranes. Encyclopedia of Membrane Science and Technology, 1-38, (2013). 

10. Shen, Y., Xiao, K., Liang, P., Sun, J., Sai, S. & Huang, X. Characterization of soluble microbial products in 10 large-scale membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment in China. J. Membr. Sci.415–416, 336-345 (2012). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2012.05.017)

9.  Kumar, M., Habel, J., Shen, Y., et al. High-Density Reconstitution of Functional Water Channels into Vesicular and Planar Block Copolymer Membranes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134, 18631-18637, (2012) (https://doi.org/10.1021/ja304721r)

8.  Mo, Y., Xiao, K., Shen, Y. & Huang, X. A new perspective on the effect of complexation between calcium and alginate on fouling during nanofiltration. Sep. Purif. Tech. 82, 121-127, (2011). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2011.08.033)

7.  Zhao, W., Shen, Y., et al. Fouling characteristics in a membrane bioreactor coupled with anaerobic–anoxic–oxic process for coke wastewater treatment. Bioresour. Technol. 101, 3876-3883 (2010). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.12.141)

6.  Shen, Y., et al. A systematic insight into fouling propensity of soluble microbial products in membrane bioreactors based on hydrophobic interaction and size exclusion. J. Membr. Sci. 346, 187-193 (2010). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2009.09.040)

5.  Shen, Y., et al. State of the Art of Membrane Bioreactors. China Water & Wastewater 26, 22-27, (2010).

4.  Shen, Y., et al. State-of-the-Art of Membrane Fouling and Membrane Materials. China Water & Wastewater 26, 16-22, (2010).

3.  Shen, Y., et al. State-of-Art of Microfiltration, Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Technologies. China Water & Wastewater 26, 1-5, (2010).

2.  Huang, X., Xiao, K. & Shen, Y. Recent advances in membrane bioreactor technology for wastewater treatment in China. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 4, 245-271, (2010). (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-010-0240-z)

1.  Zhao, W., Huang, X., Lee, D., Wang, X. & Shen, Y. Use of submerged anaerobic–anoxic–oxic membrane bioreactor to treat highly toxic coke wastewater with complete sludge retention. J. Membr. Sci. 330, 57-64, (2009). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2008.12.072)