Chemist

YUKUN LI

**** ******** **, *** **, LOCKPORT, NY *4094 716-***-**** *******.*******@*****.***

CHEMIST

Highly focused, result driven, and motivated Chemist with exceptional hands on skills and 5 years experience

in organic chemistry, polymer synthesis and characterization; equipped with excellent knowledge of

conjugating biopolymers to drug molecules and/or peptide, drug delivery, polymer physics, and surface

chemistry; demonstrated high productivity and creativity, as well as superior interpersonal skills mentoring

junior researchers, and creating a safe work environment for team members; possesses outstanding ability to

think out of the box. Areas of strengths include:

Well defined Biodegradable Polymers Controlled Radical Polymerization Techniques

• •

Biodegradable Polymer drug Conjugates Emulsion Polymerization for Encapsulation

• •

Polyelectrolyte Nanocages for Drug Delivery Instrumental Skills: NMR, GPC, DSC, FTIR, etc.

• •

EDUCATION

• STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO, BUFFALO, NY, 14260

PH. D. CANDIDATE, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING, JAN 2008 PRESENT,

• TIANJIN UNIVERSITY, TIANJIN, CHINA

B. ENG., CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, SEP 2003 JUN 2007

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

RESEARCH ASSISTANT STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO JAN 2009 PRESENT

• To prepare Janus double brush copolymers as nanosurfactant for emulsion polymerization, and

biodegradable brush polymers drug conjugates for drug delivery

Key ACHIEVEMENTS

• Developed a facile method to synthesize brush copolymers by controlled radical polymerization

techniques including Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization, Atom

transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), Ring Opening Polymerization (ROP) and Ring Opening Metathesis

Polymerization (ROMP).

• Developed amphiphilic double brush copolymers, and investigated inter and intramolecular self assembly

behavior of brush polymers in water and different organic solvent, as well as at different temperatures and

substrates.

• Prepared polymer films by spin casting and solvent casting. Provided first visualization of Janus

confirmation of heterografted brush polymers.

• Increased colloidal stability over 300% by double brush copolymers, and understood the mechanisms.

• Synthesized PEO/PSt double brush copolymers, applied them in miniemulsion polymerization of styrene,

investigated their performance as surfactant, and prepared polystyrene latex spheres.

• Prepared functionalized biodegradable poly(lactide) (PLA), and grafted a drug molecule (paclitaxel) with

acid sensitive linker. Increased water solubility by 1000 times via poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) grafting on

PLA backbone.

• Studied the degradability of functional PLA to different temperatures and pH values, such as at acid and

neutral condition, demonstrated fast release of the drug at acid condition.

• Investigated the cytotoxicity of the brush polymer and polymer drug conjugates.

• Developed polymer films by radical polymerization of acrylic monomers and crosslinkers, and then

modified the surface by using peptide conjugation for cell growth.

• To prepare polymeric nanocapsules by emulsion based templating method for drug delivery

Key ACHIEVEMENTS

• Synthesized and characterized two types of surfactants based acrylic monomers, and developed

crystallized miniemulsion nanodroplets for polymeric nanocages preparation by UV induced radical

interfacial polymerization.

• Prepared hydrogels by using acrylic polymers with disulfide functionality, and demonstrated the redox

responsive properties of the degradable polymers.

• Investigated the electronic properties of polymeric nanocages and nanogels, such as surface charge.

• Demonstrated the mechanism of surfactant monolayers adsorbed by crystallized miniemulsion droplets.

• Designed a novel route for biodegradable nanocages preparation, and got a research grant on this project.

• Investigated the viability of MCF 7 and PC3 (prostate cancer) cells by doxorubicin encapsulated

nanocages.

• Demonstrated novel chemical properties of polyelectrolyte nanocages as controllable drug delivery

carriers for doxorubicin, and over 50 times higher delivery amount for micro RNA 519c compared with a

commercial product.

LAB COORDINATOR STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO JAN 2009 PRESENT

• Supervised and directed junior graduate and undergraduate students for polymerization and purification

techniques, such as precipitation, column chromatography. Managed all the laboratory instruments, resolved

issues between lab members, and created a safe work environment.

SKILLS SETS

• EXPERIMENTAL SKILLS

• Organic Synthesis: column chromatography, click reaction, esterification, extraction, filtration, micheal

addition, reduction, oxidation, recrystallization, substitution, vacuum distillation.

• Polymer synthesis: RAFT polymerization, ATRP, ROMP, ROP, emulsion polymerization, fractional

precipitation.

• Instruments: AFM, DLS, DSC, FT IR, GPC, HPLC, MALDI TOF, NMR, SEM, Spin coater, TEM, TGA,

UV Vis.

• COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS

• Software: MS Office, ChemBioDraw, OriginPro, Acrobat, Dreamwaver, Illustrator, Photoshop.

AWARDS

• Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research, American Chemical Society, March 2012

• Research Grant from Mark Diamond Research Fund, SUNY at Buffalo, Aug 2011

• Graduate School Ambassador Award, SUNY at Buffalo, March 2011

SELECTED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

1. Yukun Li, Jiong Zou, Biswa P. Das, Marina Tsianou, and Chong Cheng, Well Defined Amphiphilic

Double Brush Copolymers and Their Performance as Emulsion Surfactants. Macromolecules, 2012, 45,

4623 4629.

2. Yukun Li, Efrosyni Themistou, Jiong Zou, Biswa P. Das, Marina Tsianou, and Chong Cheng, Facile

Synthesis and Visualization of Janus Double Brush Copolymers. ACS Macro Letters, 2012, 1, 52 56.

3. Yukun Li, Efrosyni Themistou, Biswa P. Das, Leela Christan Tabak, Jiong Zou, Marina Tsianou, and

Chong Cheng, Polyelectrolyte Nanocages via Crystallized Miniemulsion Droplets. Chemical

Communications, 2011, 47, 116**-*****.

4. Yukun Li, Chin Kuang Chen, Wing Cheung Law, Paras N. Prasad, and Chong Cheng, Redox Responsive

Polyelectrolyte Nanocages for Rapid Doxorubicin Release. (Manuscript in preparation)

5. Yukun Li, Leela Christan Tabak, and Chong Cheng, Synthesis and Application of Double Brush

Copolymers in Miniemulsion Polymerization. (Manuscript in preparation)

6. Jiong Zou, Yun Yu, Lu Yu, Yukun Li, Chin Kuang Chen, and Chong Cheng, Well Defined Drug

Conjugated Biodegradable Nanoparticles by Azide Alkyne Click Cross Linking in Miniemulsion. Journal

of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, 2012, 50, 142 148.

7. Jiong Zou, Chyi Chin Hew, Efrosyni Themistou, Yukun Li, Chih Kuang Chen, Paschalis Alexandridis, and

Chong Cheng, Clicking Well Defined Biodegradable Nanoparticles and Nanocapsules by UV Induced

Thiol Ene Cross Linking in Transparent Miniemulsions. Advanced Materials, 2011, 23, 4274 4277.

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