With a continued curiosity in the materials he encountered during his childhood, Tianjian Yang wanted to satisfy his interest at a higher level. When studying Materials Science as an undergraduate at Jinan University, Tianjian discovered polymers. This led him to join the research lab of Prof. Ziyang Zhang where he became deeply involved with the research and completed his first scientific paper. Hungry for more knowledge, Tianjian joined the Materials Science and Engineering master’s degree program at the University of California, San Diego. This experience introduced him to synthetic chemistry used in biology.  Upon discovery of Prof. Yao Lin’s research in polypeptides for biomedical applications, Tianjian joined the UConn Polymer Program.

Tianjian’s hard work and talent was recognized. He published three papers as lead author, has two more in process, and was co-listed on numerous more.  He was a finalist for the national 2024 Eastman Chemical Student Award. He also received the UConn Polymer Program 2024 Samuel J. Huang Graduate Student Research Award.

Tianjian said he loved IMS because of the variety of research projects, the extensive access to instrumentation, the collaborative nature of the community, and the faculty’s willingness to help all students with questions. He said this was the perfect program for his interests and goals.

This summer he successfully defended his thesis: “Biomimetic Supramolecular Materials Assembled from Synthetic Polypeptides”. This month he started a position as a postdoctoral research scholar at Johns Hopkins University. Tianjian’s long-term goal is to become a professor.