1997年获得加拿大维多利亚大学博士学位，1997年-1999年在加州大学洛杉矶分校和肯特基大学做博士后研究。2004年至今，担任南开大学特聘教授、纳米科学与技术中心主任。担任美国德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校和天津理工大学等多所大学的客座教授。

纳米碳材料的制备及应用研究；基于纳米碳材料和有机功能材料的绿色能源器件研究

1.         973计划课题“石墨烯的可控宏量与大面积制备”，2012.1-2016.12

2.         973计划课题“高效聚合物/有机太阳电池材料与器件的基础研究”2014.1-2018.12

3.         国家自然科学基金面上“基于三维石墨烯的锂硫电池正极材料和器件研究”，2015.1-2018.12

4.         国家自然科学基金重点项目“可溶液处理小分子高效有机太阳能电池给体材料及器件研究” ，2015.1-2017.12

2005年至2015年9月，发表SCI论文200余篇，包括在Nature Photon.、Nature Commun.、Science、Nano Lett.、Acc. Chem. Res.、J.Am.Chem.Soc.、Adv. Mater.等杂志上30多篇。论文被他引约22000余次，H因子64 （Google Scholar）。已申请中国发明专利及PCT国际专利40多项，获得授权9项。2010年获得天津市自然科学一等奖。2014和2015年获汤森路透全球高被引科学家奖。

          Macroscopic and direct light propulsion of bulk graphene material, Tengfei Zhang, Huicong Chang,Yingpeng Wu, Peishuang Xiao,      Ningbo Yi,    Yanhong Lu,Yanfeng Ma,Yi Huang,Kai Zhao,Xiaoqing Yan,Zhibo Liu,Jianguo Tian， Yongsheng Chen*, Nature Photon., 2015, DOI:10.1038/nphoton.2015.105,

          Small-molecule solar cells with efficiency over 9%, Qian Zhang,Bin Kan,Feng Liu, Guankui Long, Xiangjian Wan, Xiaoqing Chen, Yi Zuo, Wang Ni, Huijing Zhang, Miaomiao Li, Zhicheng Hu, Fei Huang, Yong Cao, Ziqi Liang, Mingtao Zhang, Thomas P. Russell and Yongsheng Chen*, Nature Photon., 2015, 9, 35-41

          Three-dimensionally bonded spongy graphene material with super compressive elasticity and near-zero Poisson’s ratio, Yingpeng Wu, Ningbo Yi, Lu Huang,Tengfei Zhang,Shaoli Fang,Huicong Chang,Na Li,Jiyoung Oh,Jae Ah Lee,Mikhail Kozlov, Alin C. Chipara, Humberto Terrones, Peishuang Xiao, Guankui Long, Yi Huang, Fan Zhang, Long Zhang, Xavier Lepro, Carter Haines, Marcio Dias Lima, Nestor Perea Lopez, Lakshmy P. Rajukumar, Ana L. Elias, Simin Feng, Seon Jeong Kim, N.T. Narayanan, Pulickel M. Ajayan, Mauricio Terrones, Ali Aliev, Pengfei Chu, Zhong Zhang, Ray H. Baughman* and Yongsheng Chen*, Nature Commun., 2015, 6:6141

          A Series of Simple Oligomer-like Small Molecules Based on Oligothiophenes for Solution-Processed Solar Cells with High Efficiency,Bin Kan, Miaomiao Li, Qian Zhang, Feng Liu, Xiangjian Wan, Yunchuang Wang, Wang Ni, Guankui Long, Xuan Yang, Huanran Feng, Yi Zuo, Mingtao Zhang, Fei Huang, Yong Cao, Thomas P. Russell, and Yongsheng Chen*, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2015, 137, 3886–3893

          Solution-Processed Organic Solar Cells Based on Dialkylthiol-Substituted Benzodithiophene Unit with Efficiency near 10%, Bin Kan, Qian Zhang,Miaomiao Li, Xiangjian Wan, Wang Ni, Guankui Long, Yunchuang Wang, Xuan Yang, Huanran Feng, and Yongsheng Chen*, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2014, 136, 15529-15532

          High performance photovoltaic applications using solution processed small molecules, Yongsheng Chen*, Xiangjian Wan, Guankui Long, Acc. Chem. Res, 2013, 46, 2645–2655

          Solution processed and high performance organic solar cells using small molecules with benzodithiophene unit, Jiaoyan Zhou, Yi Zuo, Xiangjian Wan, Guankui Long,  Qian Zhang, Wang Ni, Yongsheng Liu, Zhi Li, Guangrui He, Chenxi Li, Bin Kan, Miaomiao Li, Yongsheng Chen*, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2013, 135, 8484–8487

          Controlling the effective surface area and pore size distribution of sp2 carbon materials and their impact on the capacitance performance of these materials, Long Zhang, Xi Yang, Fan Zhang, Guankui Long, Tengfei Zhang, Kai Leng, Yawei Zhang, Yi Huang, Yanfeng Ma, Mingtao Zhang, Yongsheng Chen*, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2013, 135, 5921–5929

          Focusing on Energy and Optoelectronic Applications A Journey for Graphene and Graphene Oxide at Large Scale, Xiangjian Wan, Yi Huang, Yongsheng Chen*, Acc. Chem. Res., 2012, 45, 598–607

          Room temperature ferromagnetism of graphene", Yan Wang, Yi Huang, You Song, Xiaoyan Zhang, Yanfeng Ma, Jiajie Liang, Yongsheng Chen*, Nano Lett., 9, 220-224, 2009