Dr. Cui was a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University in 2010. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Delaware in Materials Science and Engineering in 2007, his M.S. from Tsinghua University in 2002, and his B.S. from the Beijing University of Chemical Technology in 1999.
The focus of his group’s research is to understand the personality of different types of molecules so as to combine them to achieve desired functions that do not necessarily, or directly, relate to the chemical structure of the individual molecules. Their goal is to use this knowledge to construct functional soft nanomaterials that can specifically interact with cells of interest, or convert energy from one form to another. To this end, they work on the design, synthesis, fabrication, characterization, and applications of anticancer drugs, antibiotics, molecular probes, bioactive peptides, and electronically active moieties. His group is particularly interested in developing polymeric, peptidic, and drug-based nanomaterials that offer specific chemical, physical, and mechanical signals to targeted cells.