Xiao Guangyan

Xiaoguang Yan was a Chinese petrochemist who researched catalysts used in petroleum processing. He was born in Japan to Chinese parents. When he was young, he moved to the United States to study and work, earning a B.A. in chemistry from Pomona College in 1942 after transferring from Pasadena City College in 1940, and later a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He returned to China in 1951 after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. He became one of the pioneers of petrochemical research in the PRC, researching various catalysts for hydrocracking, hydroisomerization, and other petroleum processing techniques. He fell out of favor during the Cultural Revolution and committed suicide in 1968 along with his wife and daughter, but was posthumously rehabilitated in 1972.