HQP Highlight Series: Ian (In) Lee
Welcome to the HQP Highlight Series: a series of interviews designed to highlight the innovative research and diverse experiences of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) across the Carbon to Metal Coating Institute (C2MCI) network.
Today, we welcome Ian (In) Lee, a PhD Candidate working with Dr. Zhifeng Ding on nano medicine research at Western University. Ian will be sharing his insights on the exciting science taking place at C2MCI and the approaches, challenges, collaborations, and career journey behind his research.
Could you introduce yourself and briefly share what you’re currently working on at C2MCI?
My name is Ian, and I am a graduate student in Dr. Ding’s research group at Western University. Currently, I am working on characterizing the electrochemistry and photochemistry of NHC stabilized metal clusters towards high-impact biological applications like immunoassay and optical microscopy.
Specifically, I am currently exploring the clusters’ affinity towards electrochemiluminescence (ECL), which involves light emission strictly through electrochemical redox reactions.
What first drew you to your field of research?
I am currently in the nano medicine division in C2MCI. What drew me to this field of research initially is the scale. Despite being so small, these clusters clearly have potential for many large-scale studies and applications, as demonstrated by the works of various groups in this division. As such, I was driven by my desire to contribute to the unique research themes and deliverables of the C2MCI.
What’s the coolest analytical or synthetic technique you’ve learned recently? Why did it excite you?
I was always fascinated by the Spooling Spectroelectrochemistry setup in our lab, which I helped Dr. Ding to establish and customize. Functionally, it allows us to measure changes in emission spectrum generated from photoexcitation, while simultaneously applying the electrochemical scans in real time. This allows us to monitor the emission behaviour of the cluster in real time, as well as to probe the relationship between electrochemiluminescence (ECL) and photoluminescence (PL).
Some clusters show significant changes in the peak emission wavelengths during electrochemical scans, suggesting that different emission routes can be unlocked with various redox potentials, which I think would be interesting to explore in the future.
Which of your recent projects with C2MCI are you most proud of, and what made it special?
A recent project that I am proud of is the manuscript that I am currently writing with Dr. Crudden’s group, which involves the complete mechanistic study of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of NHC-Au clusters.
Due to the novel nature of ECL, a comprehensive mechanistic investigation at the level reported in this manuscript has never been achieved. Furthermore, I was able to unambiguously demonstrate the clusters’ superior properties as ECL emitters. I am very eager to share this research as soon as possible.
Have you ever worked with people from different disciplines? How did you make the collaboration effective?
I have worked with many great researchers across different disciplines. As mentioned above, one such example is the members of Dr. Crudden’s research group. I think it is important to establish what everyone is bringing to the project, as well as respect their ability to operate freely within these established boundaries.
For instance, because I am an electrochemist, I would dedicate most of my efforts towards electrochemical studies, while trusting my collaborators with other aspects such as synthesis and NMR/XRD characterization.
Tell us about a presentation or poster session you gave. What made it successful?
I recently held a seminar in my department regarding novel strategies to modulate the rotational behaviour of synthetic Molecular Motors and Machines. My talk was well received by various faculty members and my peers, which I believe is due to effective allocation of time and making interesting analogies that are intuitive.
Because this talk was about a rather unique research field that not many people have experience with, I found it important to simplify the content and not overwhelm people with too much information. Furthermore, these concepts were frequently compared to macroscopic machines in our daily lives, such as automated assembly lines, cars and electrical fans to better convey the functional design strategies of these molecules.
Have you ever proposed a new idea or method in your work? How was it received?
During the preparation of my seminar, I was inspired by light-driven molecular motors and became interested in the possibility of monitoring its rotational mechanisms through electrochemiluminescence (ECL) instead of the conventional optical methods. When I suggested this idea to Dr. Ding, he was very supportive and open to me pursuing projects of my own design.
What’s one thing about your research that consistently makes you smile or surprises you?
I am surprised by the sheer versatility of analytical methods in our labs. Although it is usually very similar on an experimental and technical level, I am constantly amazed how these instruments can be used to elucidate various analytes’ properties including structure, mechanism and other chemical characteristics.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting their journey in chemistry?
I would recommend taking things at your own pace and not comparing yourself to others. Everyone’s journey and destination is unique. For instance, a first-year undergraduate student does not need to burn themselves out to volunteer in a lab because they see their classmates doing the same.
The HQP Highlight Series is made possible by the support of the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (#NFRFT-2020-00573).
If you are a C2MCI HQP who might be interested in appearing in future instalments of the HQP Highlight Series, please reach out to Dr. Tetyana Levchenko to get involved.
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