Rong Yang, associate professor and the Marjorie L. Hart ’50 Professor of Engineering in Duffield Engineering’s R.F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has received the 2026 Allan P. Colburn Award for Excellence in Publications by a Young Member of the Institute from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
The award, sponsored by DuPont, recognizes early-career chemical engineers whose scholarly publications have made significant contributions to the field. Yang was recognized at the AIChE Annual Meeting, Nov. 8–12, in Minneapolis.
Yang’s research focuses on developing new strategies for synthesizing polymeric materials and controlling their molecular structure, properties and interactions. Her group works at the intersection of polymer science, chemical vapor deposition and biointerfaces, developing approaches that expand the capabilities of vapor-based materials manufacturing.
Her research has introduced new ways to incorporate intermolecular interactions into vapor-phase polymerization, enabling the creation of materials with tailored properties. These advances have potential applications in sustainable manufacturing, microelectronics, energy storage, drug delivery and biomedical technologies.
Since joining Cornell in 2019, Yang has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles spanning polymer science, biomaterials, nanomedicine and interfacial engineering. She also serves as an associate editor of ACS Applied Bio Materials.
The Allan P. Colburn Award was established in 1945 and recognizes outstanding publication contributions by early-career members of AIChE.