Presidential Early Career Development Award Winners

2007 - Henry Ashbaugh

Henry Ashbaugh, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is the fourth recipient of the Presidential Early Career Development Award because of his potential as a researcher and because he has already made significant contributions to the study of “natively unfolded proteins” and how they interact with each other.

Ashbaugh’s team of collaborators includes graduate and undergraduate students as well as colleagues at Tulane and other universities and research institutions. His research interests also lie in polymers and aqueous solutions. 

2005 - Zhiqiang Mao

Zhiqiang Mao, assistant professor of physics, is the third recipient of the Presidential Early Career Development Award. Zhiqiang’s research is in the area of materials physics, focusing in recent years on ruthenate physics, an emerging area in condensed matter physics. He is considered a leading authority on the growth of Sr2RuO4, the first fully established odd-parity, spin-triplet superconductor.

Since arriving at Tulane in 2002, Zhiqiang has been awarded ~$370,000 in funding. He is the author of more than 170 articles, and his work has been cited over 1,600 times. Of his articles, 15 have been published in Physical Review Letters, the leading journal in his field.

2004 - Weiping Zou

Weiping Zou, assistant professor of medicine in the section of hematology and medical oncology, is the second recipient of the Presidential Early Career Development Award. Weiping’s research is in the area of tumor immunology, and he has been collaborating productively with other members of the department as well as the department of obstetrics and gynecology and the primate center in ovarian cancer.

Since arriving at Tulane in 2001, Weiping has secured more than $2 million in research funding, making him the single most grant-productive member of the department of medicine. With over 15 manuscripts published in the past two years, he has presented locally, regionally, nationally and internationally and is active in teaching at Tulane.

2003 - Yunfeng Lu

Yunfeng Lu, assistant professor of chemical engineering, is the first recipient of the Presidential Early Career Development Award. This award honors outstanding Tulane scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential in the early stages of their careers. As part of this honor Yunfeng will receive $20,000 per year for the next three years to further his work.

Since he arrived at Tulane in 2001, Yunfeng has secured more than $1 million in research grants and won several major awards. He has published widely in scientific journals and has applied for 17 patents, almost half of which have already been issued. Yunfeng also represents the very best of Tulane in the dedication and care he shows for his students. He is well-deserving of this honor, which is provided through the Lallage Feazel Wall Fund, an $18 million bequest Tulane received in 1999.