MEM graduate student Robert Chang was recently awarded the prestigious National Research Council (NRC) Fellowship.

As a graduate student under the supervision of MEM Professor Wei Sun, Robert has led a challenging NASA collaborative research project (upon which his dissertation is based) for the biomimetic design, modeling, and biofabrication of novel biological models for drug toxicity screening.

The mission of the National Research Council’s Research Associateship Programs is to provide advanced training for highly qualified postdoctoral students, while enhancing the research conducted in federal laboratories, as well as providing highly competitive salaries. This mission is accomplished by recruiting, and competitively selecting, postdoctoral and senior scientists for research awards in the laboratories of more than 30 federal sponsors.

This year, Chang was sponsored by Dr. Jeeseong Hwang at NIST who works in the Optical Technology Division and whose projects include developing and utilizing new measurement platforms and standards to characterize and model the unique optical properties of nanomaterials and biomolecules in a controlled environment for their applications in biological studies including cellular diagnostics, repair, and modification, cancer detection, in vivo imaging, biological warfare agent detection, and drug research and development.