Dr Yue Yuan
IAS Open Programme
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dr. Yue Yuan is an Alvin M. Weinberg Distinguished Staff Fellow at Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Drawing on an interdisciplinary background spanning soft matter and biochemistry, she leads multiple projects totaling over $1.6M since joining ORNL in 2022. Her work contributes to advances innovative research at the interface of biomolecular engineering and functional materials, helping to establish new directions in the design, characterization, and deployment of bio-inspired and bio-integrated materials at DOE user facilities.
Yuan earned her Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science from North Carolina State University in 2021, where she developed patented biocatalytic fibrous matrices for enhanced catalyzed reactions at liquid–gas–solid interfaces. She is an active user of international neutron scattering facilities, where she has been awarded more than $100K in competitive beamtime and reported the first deuterium-labeled chitosan from filamentous fungi. Dr. Yuan conducted research at Nanotechnology Innovation Center of Kansas State University (NICKS) on surface wettability manipulation through modifying fiber morphology and chemistry at nanoscale, while pursuing her master’s degree in Textile Science at Kansas State University. Dr. Yuan was awarded Ellen Rohde Leadership Grant (2018) and Student Research Support Grant from American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) (2020). Her research has been recognized among ORNL’s Top 10 Science Achievements at the Spallation Neutron Source and High Flux Isotope Reactor (2022), and she was selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (2026).
During their IAS Fellowship, Dr Yuan will be collaborating with Professor Ishara Dharmasena from the School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering.