Dr. Zoua Pa Vang receives National Institutes of Health postdoctoral research award

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (9/27/2023) – Dr. Zoua Pa Vang, a postdoctoral researcher in the Tonks Group, was recently awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (Kirschstein-NRSA) by the National Institutes of Health. Vang joined the University of Minnesota in April 2023 after receiving her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Marquette University.

Vang’s research in the Tonks group is interested in Ti-catalyzed amination reactions, as they are atom-and step-economical and are useful for making druglike molecules. “Inspired by some multi-component processes from our group, we propose that we could develop a new cascading amination reaction that makes multiple bonds at once. We hope that this exciting research will become a novel pathway to efficiently synthesize amine functionalized molecules,” she says about the novel research she will be conducting with the support of this award.

Vang says that her goal for her time at the University of Minnesota is to learn as much as she can to continue improving as a scientist. “I’m looking for new opportunities to challenge myself in ways that I believe my graduate school experience did not. I believe that there are many concepts, techniques, and skills that I have yet to learn, therefore, I am excited to be in the Tonks group where I can learn about more about titanium chemistry, inorganic synthesis, DFT, mechanistic experiments, and gain new lab techniques!” she says.

The purpose of the Kirschstein-NRSA postdoctoral fellowship is to enhance the research training of promising postdoctoral candidates who have the potential to become productive, independent investigators in scientific health-related research fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers. The award amount of $137,764 will support Vang through new research training experiences over the course of the two year fellowship.