FUNCTIONAL & SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO

Our Research

Welcome to Yang Research Lab at UNR! Our research is directed toward the development of polymeric materials with novel functionalities as well as improved sustainability due to pressing environmental issues of plastic materials. Different from traditional polymers which are comprised of stable covalent bonds, we design and synthesize dynamic polymers that contain reversible bonds, dynamic molecular interactions, and hierarchical structures. These molecular features will enable controllable dissociation and re-association of polymer chains, and allow on-demand control of polymers’ chemical and mechanical properties.

Join us!

We are looking for passionate students to build a diverse team together. Perspective students interested in joining are welcome to apply. Please send your CV to yingy@unr.edu and describe your research interests.

News and Updates

Welcome Manish and Abdul for joining the group! - Decemebr 2022

Dr. Yang received the NSF CAREER Award. - November 2022

Cameron Locke received the Best Poster Prize at the International Symposium of Stimuli-Responsive Materials. - October 2022

We are funded by DOE on an collaborative project with Dr. Dani Or and Dr. Rishi Parashar from the Desert Research Institute and Dr. Satish Kara from PNNL to develop polymer foams to modify fractured rock permeability to improve geothermal system efficiency. Thank you Dr. Dani Or for leading the project. - August 2022

In summer 2022, we celebrated the following achievements and awards:

  • Congratulation to Connor Filbin and Ryan Meehan for completing their Master's degrees. You will be missed!

  • Cameron Locke for receiving the Excellent in Teaching Award again

  • Connor Filbin for receiving the TA of the Year award

  • Julian Rolsma for being selected as this year's Gene and Carla Lemay Scholar

Cameron Locke passed his proposal defense and is officially a Ph.D. candidate. Congrats! - Spring 2022

Julian Rolsma joined our group as a graduate student. Welcome! - January 2022

We are so happy that summer is almost here in Reno. This year we moved into the brand new lab space. Our lab grew to three graduate students, one postdoc, and five undergrads. As the spring semester just ended, we would like to congratulate the following group members for their excellent work:

  • Yinping Cui and Rongrong Su for graduating with BS in Chemistry

  • Connor, Cameron, and Ryan for receiving the Excellence in Teaching Award for their TA work

  • Connor for being selected as this year's Gene and Carla Lemay Scholar

  • Julia Davidson and Nicholas Patapoff for receiving the 2021 Nevada Undergraduate Research Awards (NURA)

-05/20/2021

Dr. Lasith S. Kariyawasam joined our group as a postdoc. Welcome! - 09/26/2020

It has been a special summer this year! Thank you Connor Filbin, Cameron Locke, Kimberly Hernandez, and Nicholas Patapoff for overcoming the difficulties of the pandemic and conducting excellent research work during the summer of 2020 -08/19/2020

Congratulations to Nick for receiving the 2020 Gene Wong Memorial Endowment Award! - 05/19/2020

Congratulations to Connor for receiving the 2019-2020 Nevada Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Scholarship! - 01/02/2020

We held our first group meeting - 09/09/2019