Mingdi Yan

Mingdi Yan is a Professor and Center Director of the Center for Pathogen Research & Training (CPRT) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell). She holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Oregon (1994) and a BS in Polymer Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China (1988). Her research focuses on the chemistry of electrophilic azides, glyconanomaterials, antimicrobial nanomaterials, and graphene chemistry, with an emphasis on developing nanotherapeutics to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Her work bridges organic chemistry, nanomaterials, and nanomedicine, including the functionalization of graphene, synthesis of nanoantibiotics, and carbohydrate-based nanomaterials for bacterial targeting. Key achievements include the development of catalyst-free reactions for nanomaterial synthesis and the creation of glycopolymer nanoparticles for antibiotic delivery. She has received prestigious awards such as the AIMBE Fellowship (2020), Teaching Excellence Award (2020), and Outstanding Researcher Award (2009).

Yan leads a research group with active PhD and undergraduate students, focusing on projects like antimicrobial gold nanoclusters and graphene functionalization. Her lab is recruiting students and postdocs in organic synthesis and nanomaterials. She teaches courses in organic chemistry and nanomaterials, and supervises the Organic Chemistry PhD program.

Publications span over 200 articles in journals like Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and ACS Nano, highlighting contributions to nanomedicine, antimicrobial strategies, and chemical synthesis.