Professor Mingdi Yan grew up in a family of scientists in China and now she passes on her excitement for science to students at PSU.

After receiving her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1994 from the University of Oregon, Professor Mingdi Yan took a position at Ikonos Corporation where her focus was on developing chemical sensors. In 1998, recognizing that she also had a passion for teaching, Professor Yan joined the faculty of the Chemistry department at PSU where she teaches organic chemistry and also supervises organic chemistry labs.

Professor Yan’s research at PSU centers on nanoscale science and emerging molecular technology. Her specific area of interest involves surfaces and how to control and change their properties in order to create unique outcomes. As the dimension of materials and devices become smaller, the surface property becomes increasingly important. Applications for surface science and molecular technology research are countless. For example, “anti-fouling” research is developing coatings that prevent the growth of foreign bodies on the hulls of ships and submarines. Another application is coatings for medical devices that could reduce or eliminate the possibilities for rejection. Professor Yan’s research focuses on fundamental science on surface chemistry as well as development of lab-on-a-chip platforms where coatings are being developed to put chemical-testing surfaces on microchips for screening biocompatible materials and studying molecular recognitions in biological systems. Another aspect of Professor Yan’s research is the synthesis of “artificial antibodies” by way of the Molecular Imprinting technique.

While Professor Yan helps keep PSU at the forefront of nanoscience research, she is equally focused on her role as a teacher. It is her view that education at its fundamental level provides the greatest opportunity for capturing a student’s imagination. It is in the classroom that the research professor is invaluable. There new ideas derived from a conference or current research can mingle with unconventional thinking, engaging both teacher and students.

Professor Yan publishes regularly including 44 journal articles, 2 edited books and 12 patents. Selected publications include Liu, L.; Engelhard, M. H.; Yan, M. “Surface and Interface Control on Photochemically Initiated Immobilization”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, in press; Liu, L.; Yan, M. “A General Method for the Covalent Immobilization of Single Polymers,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2006, 45, 6207; “Molecular Imprinting,” ed. with O. Ramstrom, Marcel Dekker, Inc.: New York, 2005.

Professor Yan has secured numerous grants including a $203,957 NIH AREA Award for Surface Chemistry for Immobilization of Ultrathin Films (2005-2008); and $80,000 from The Petroleum Research Fund Type AC (2005-07) for Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Thin Films and Microarrays.

Name: Mingdi Yan
Title: Associate Professor of Chemistry
office: 224 SB1
phone: 503-725-5756
email: yanm@pdx.edu