Kirill Kovnir works on synthetic solid state chemistry of emergent energy materials including the development of innovative synthetic routes towards metastable compounds. Kirill grew up in Ukraine. After completing graduate studies at Moscow State University Kirill did a couple of postdoctoral stints in Germany and US. Kirill started his independent career in 2011 at UC Davis where he received tenure. Soon after that, in 2017, Kirill relocated his group to Iowa State University. Kirill’s research interests are in the broad field of solid-state and materials chemistry. Understanding the synthesis-structure-property relationship is a key to the rational design of such materials.