Graduate student wins research award from Neutron Scattering Society

2/24/2020

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Congratulations to Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering graduate student Johnny Ching-Wei Lee, who has been selected to receive the 2020 Prize for Outstanding Student Research from the Neutron Scattering Society of America.

Lee is a member of professor Simon Rogers’ lab. His research has focused on how molecules rearrange and affect the flow and deformation characteristics of soft materials, such as synthetic and biological polymers, under dynamically-changing flows.

“I’m deeply pleased and honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Lee, who wished to thank his advisor and his collaborators at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Institut Laue-Langevin.

Johnny Ching-Wei Lee
Johnny Ching-Wei Lee

NSSA established the prize to recognize outstanding accomplishments in neutron scattering by students who have performed much of their work at North American neutron facilities. Nominations are reviewed by a committee of experts in the field of neutron science.

The award will be presented at the society’s annual meeting this summer.

Lee completed his undergraduate studies at National Taiwan University and joined the University of Illinois Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering as a graduate student in 2015.

His work involves characterization and molecular design of synthetic and biological soft materials under flows. He combines advanced rheological methods with neutron scattering techniques to simultaneously monitor the macroscopic material response and in-situ molecular rearrangements. He has successfully unveiled complex structure-rheology correlations, leading to new design criteria for soft materials.

After he graduates from Illinois with his PhD in Chemical Engineering, Lee plans to join Corteva as a research scientist with its Formulation Science and Technology R&D Team.


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This story was published February 24, 2020.