$21 Million Gift to UC San Diego Honors the Connection Between Chemical and Nano Engineering
UC San Diego’s newly named Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering is unique for its efforts to combine nanoscale discovery, nanoscale engineering and manufacturability driven by advances in chemical engineering.
A $21 million gift from San Diego-based business leader and philanthropist Aiiso Yufeng Li (Jeff) and his wife, DongDong Li (Doreen), honors innovative efforts linking chemical and nano engineering at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The Li family established an endowed fund providing critical resources in perpetuity for faculty, research, undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, laboratory and technology upgrades, and other emerging priorities. “My family and I are proud to support UC San Diego on its journey to shape the next generation of scientists and engineers by building bridges between chemical and nano engineering,” said Jeff Li.
The department housing UC San Diego’s chemical and nanoengineers was named the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering. “Our faculty have a desire to make real-world positive impacts by advancing medicine or improving renewable energy technologies that drive our efforts as researchers to connect nanoscale engineering and chemical engineering in new ways,” said Liangfang Zhang, professor and department chair. “I am incredibly thankful for the generous gift from the Li family. Their vote of confidence will allow us to accomplish our trailblazing vision to redefine chemical and nano engineering research and education more rapidly and more comprehensively.”
In addition to support for faculty research and student organizations, the Li family’s endowed fund offers interdisciplinary collaborations for students to build upon their undergraduate degrees and create compelling professional opportunities in a wide range of industries, including biotechnology, drug development and renewable energy. Generations of UC San Diego students at all levels will benefit from the Li family’s vision and generosity.
“My family and I are proud to support UC San Diego on its journey to shape the next generation of scientists and engineers by building bridges between chemical and nano engineering.”
