Dingchang Lin, INBT associate researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been selected to receive an Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) award.

These three-year awards aim to foster creative basic research in science and engineering, enhance outstanding young investigators’ early career development, and increase opportunities for young researchers to recognize the mission of the Air Force and related challenges in science and engineering.

Dingchang’s research is focused on addressing several major technological gaps in cell biology, neuroscience, and materials science via protein engineering, novel materials design and synthesis, and device engineering. His project for the award, “Engineering in-cellulo Mesoporous Protein Crystals as Genetically Programmable Functional Biomaterials,” will explore the areas of natural materials, systems, and extremophiles. The funding will support his lab’s research on programmable protein functional materials.