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Dr. Wenqi 鈥淰ince鈥� Liu, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, has earned the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Early Career Development award. This award represents a significant milestone in his academic career and his first federal grant since joining USF three years ago.
 

鈥淸This award] signifies my successful transition from a student and postdoctoral fellow to an independent principal investigator capable of securing funding to support my research group,鈥� Liu explained. 鈥淏eyond the funding, this award also serves as a national acknowledgment of my research and my capability to lead a team that addresses key challenges in our field.鈥�
 
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is an NSF-wide activity that offers the most prestigious awards in support of 鈥渆arly-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.鈥�
 
The award provides crucial financial stability for . It will alleviate financial pressure by ensuring stable funding for the next five years, allowing him to focus on tackling key challenges in supramolecular chemistry.
 
It will also support the training and development of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates, fostering the next generation of scientists in this field.
 
鈥淚t allows me, as a principal investigator, to concentrate more fully on advancing our research without being burdened by funding concerns,鈥� he added. 鈥淎dditionally, the award will enhance our outreach efforts in the Tampa Bay area. We aim to inspire students to explore science through hands-on experiments, expand STEM education opportunities for students from underserved communities, and integrate modern technologies and cutting-edge workshops into the learning and research experience.鈥�
 
Liu鈥檚 research project, 鈥淭aming Hydrogen Bonding in Water,鈥� aims to study how molecules recognize and bind to each other in water, specifically through hydrogen bonds, 鈥渁n essential interaction in many biological processes,鈥� he said.
 
鈥淥ur goal is to develop molecular design strategies that enable synthetic receptors to selectively bind specific molecules in water. This challenge is like finding a needle in a haystack: the hydrogen bonds between water molecules form the 鈥榟aystack,鈥� making it harder for our receptors to find and bind to the 鈥榥eedle,鈥� our target molecules. By overcoming this challenge, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of how to design synthetic receptors that function efficiently in water, much like natural biological systems. This research could have significant implications for medicine, agriculture, and environmental protection by improving the design of new drugs, sensors, and other critical materials,鈥� he explained.
 
Liu鈥檚 research endeavors, which began in the summer of 2022, will be significantly advanced with the support of this new grant. This funding will enable continued investigative work over the next five years, with the research expected to conclude in August 2029.
 
He also published a paper (Chem. Eur. J, 2023, e202300524) on preliminary results in March 2023, which explained the discovery of a dynamic method to synthesize a hydrogen-bonding receptor that selectively binds glucose in water, with binding affinities even stronger than lectins鈥攖he natural proteins evolved to bind sugars in biological systems.
 
鈥淭his finding offers a promising new approach to designing synthetic receptors for sugars in water, which could have significant implications for diabetes diagnostics and management,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hese results provide crucial proof-of-concept data for our proposed research.鈥�
 
Liu says that he鈥檚 been captivated by supramolecular organic chemistry for more than 14 years. Supramolecular chemistry focuses on understanding the weak yet crucial interactions between molecules鈥攁 process that underpins many essential biological functions and determines the properties of materials.
 
鈥淲hat fascinates me most is how mastering these weak interactions allows us to design functional molecules with wide-ranging applications. In medicine, these molecules can be used for developing diagnostics, anti-infective agents, synthetic antibodies, and biomolecular sensors. In agriculture, they offer solutions for precise fertilization, while in environmental science, they play a critical role in pollution control, acting as sensors and scavengers for pollutants and radioactive contaminants. The potential of supramolecular chemistry to address complex challenges in medicine, energy, materials science, and environmental protection is what drives my deep interest in this field. It offers endless opportunities for innovation and real-world impact, making it an area that continues to inspire and motivate me,鈥� he added.
 
While his tenure and accomplishments at USF are just taking off, Liu expressed gratitude for earning this award and recognized the impact of his department colleagues.
 
鈥淭his grant not only acknowledges my ability to lead a research group but also strengthens my confidence as an independent PI to address key challenges in supramolecular chemistry. I am also deeply thankful to my colleagues in the department for their unwavering support during my transition from postdoc to independent PI. From sharing teaching materials and lending chemicals and equipment to providing valuable feedback on my grant applications and helping me navigate administrative hurdles, their generosity has made all the difference. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of such a collaborative and supportive community here at USF,鈥� he said.
 
Learn more about his and the Department of Chemistry.