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Juan Vivero-Escoto Receives Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award from ORAU

Chemistry Assistant Professor Juan Vivero-Escoto has received the 2013 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associate Universities (ORAU), a 109-member university consortium affiliated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Dr. Vivero-Escoto was among 30 winners in a pool of 147 applicants from the university consortium. Only two faculty members per institution were permitted to apply. Applicants underwent a highly competitive peer-review process organized by ORAU among its members.

Dr. Vivero-Escoto’s research interests include the design and synthesis of novel hybrid inorganic-organic materials for biomedical applications. This award will support his research on the development of novel, silica-based, hollow nanoparticles as efficient platforms for intracellular protein drug delivery. This work aims to develop effective protein delivery systems, which are needed to enhance the clinical use of therapeutic proteins. Dr. Vivero-Escoto will collaborate with Dr. Sheng Dai, Group Leader of the Nanomaterials Chemistry Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, on this project.

For more information on the 2013 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, visit: http://oakridgetoday.com/2013/05/28/orau-awards-30-research-grants-to-junior-faculty/