Graduate Student Spotlight: Lucia Yuan

We are pleased to highlight Lucia Yuan, a PhD student in Chemistry, whose research is advancing the development of functional polymeric materials for biomedical applications.

Working with Dr. Metin Karayilan, Lucia’s research focuses on polymer synthesis, RAFT copolymerization, and sequence-controlled polymer design, with applications in bioimaging and fluorescence-guided surgery. Her recent work has contributed to a deeper understanding of how monomer sequence, polymer structure, and reaction conditions influence material properties in semi-batch polymerization systems.

Lucia’s achievements have been recognized through several honors, including the Costin D. Nenitzescu and Margareta Avram Award for Outstanding Organic Research, the Biophysics Day 2024 Flash Talk Award, and a Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Endeavors Grant. Her research was also recently featured on the cover of MRS Communications, reflecting the significance and broader impact of her work.

We are proud to recognize Lucia for her dedication to research excellence and her contributions to innovation at the intersection of chemistry and biomedicine.

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