Dr. Chern-Hooi Lim is the founder and CEO of New Iridium. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and BS in Chemical Engineering (summa cum laude) from Drexel University. Dr. Lim was named to the C&EN’s Talented 12 (Class of 2021) for his contributions in the development of photocatalysis technology.
During his academic career, Dr. Lim received the prestigious NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop high-impact photocatalytic applications. He has acquired a wide range of technical expertise in photocatalysis, photocatalyst design, organic synthesis, chemical process design and quantum chemistry, fields where he has co-authored more than 30 scientific papers in top tier journals such as Science, JACS, ACIE and Chemical Reviews (Google Scholar). He is co-inventor of patented photocatalyst technology using quantum simulations to optimize the photocatalyst molecular design and is pioneering its use in low carbon chemical applications.
Dr. Lim’s vision is to transform the landscape of chemical manufacturing using photocatalysis to realize highly efficient processes for producing low-carbon chemicals at lower cost or on par with fossil-based incumbent technology. Dr. Lim is a passionate entrepreneur and thrives at the intersection of business and technology. He applies lean startup, customer development and disciplined entrepreneurship methodologies to propel New Iridium’s growth trajectory.