Research to Illuminate Protein Structure
Yaozu Chen '25
Winchester, Massachusetts
What drew you to this field of study?
I loved my science classes in high school. When I was first looking at programs to major in at UMass, I didn’t even know what chemical engineering was. I just knew that I loved my chemistry classes, but I also wanted to be involved in engineering applications. While taking the introductory chemical engineering course (ENGIN 110), I learned about the diverse fields of research that some of the ChemE (chemical engineering) faculty and students were doing, which ranged from pharmaceuticals to energy. I was fascinated by the broad impact chemical engineering has on our everyday lives.
How do you conduct your research?
My project involves creating microfluidics to determine protein structure. Microfluidics are devices that contain micrometer-scale channels and features. They allow us to study protein crystals using X-rays, which will scatter and provide patterns that can be mathematically pieced together into a 3-D structure.
I work a lot in UMass’s Nanofabrication Cleanroom and Roll-to-Roll Fabrication and Processing Core Facilities in order to make microfluidic devices, which I then take back to the Perry Lab for testing and crystallization.
What do you see as the impact—or potential impact—of your work?
Proteins are molecular machines that perform many functions necessary for life, from cell communication to gene expression. A protein’s function is largely tied to its structure, so determining a protein’s structure allows us to understand what it’s used for and how we can design drugs to target certain proteins. However, the current method of protein structure determination requires protein crystallization, which is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. The microfluidic devices that we create help streamline the crystal growing process and provide a convenient platform to perform X-ray diffraction.
Unlike homework problems that usually have one right answer, solutions to research problems can be so diverse and varied. Finding a solution might take weeks or even months of experimentation, but the feeling of finally overcoming a research problem is unbeatable.
How does your faculty mentor support your research?
Associate Professor Sarah Perry has been extremely encouraging since I started research in her lab. On the research side, she is always open to new experiment ideas, and I always find it helpful to meet with her to discuss progress and future goals. She also regularly reminds all the undergraduates working in the Perry Lab about conferences, fellowships, outreach, and graduate school opportunities. Professor Perry believes that engineers can have a social impact outside of scientific research, so she encourages us to do educational outreach or just share some of our cool research with younger students and the general public. This is one belief that I want to carry forward in my future career as well. I also want to acknowledge my graduate student mentors, Sarthak Saha and Isaac Ramírez Marrero, who taught me both experimental and soft skills that have been vital to my research.
What do you find most exciting about your research?
Problems inevitably come up during research. Sometimes, our devices don’t assemble correctly or don’t work, or the proteins don’t crystallize. My favorite part about research is trying to solve these problems. Unlike homework problems that usually have one right answer, solutions to research problems can be so diverse and varied. Finding a solution might take weeks or even months of experimentation, but the feeling of finally overcoming a research problem is unbeatable.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of presenting my work at the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium at Rice University during my sophomore year. That was the first time I had presented my research in front of a large, non-UMass audience, and Professor Perry and my graduate student mentors helped me develop my presentation and practice the talk. Good scientific communication is essential in research, so I was glad to have the opportunity to develop these skills early in my career.
How has your research enhanced your overall educational experience at UMass?
Research is a great hands-on way to apply the fundamental concepts that we learn in our chemical engineering classes. For example, I was able to learn many wet lab skills in the Perry Lab before our lab courses. It’s also interesting to see concepts we learn in our classes pop up in research. Research experiences also teach us how to problem-solve in a way that’s different from our classes, and it has definitely helped prepare me for my internships and graduate studies.
What are your plans for the future?
I am starting my PhD in chemical engineering in the fall. In the future, I plan to either enter academia or work at a national laboratory.
Why would you recommend UMass to a friend?
UMass has so many incredible research opportunities and amazing people. The Department of Chemical Engineering feels like a tight-knit community, and all the professors and students are very supportive and welcoming. There are so many opportunities outside of research as well! For example, one of my favorite student organizations is the UMass chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). They’ve made trips to national conferences, set up workshops, and organized gatherings and special events for the Department of Chemical Engineering that bring everyone in the major closer together. For all these reasons, I would definitely recommend UMass to anyone who wants great opportunities and a close community.