Z. Vivian Feng

Assistant Professor

I am an analytical chemist by training (i.e.: organized in nature!).  I joined Augsburg in September 2008, after initiating my career as an assistant professor at the University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA), followed by two years as Research Educator at the University of Texas in Austin.  After the experience of teaching at a large research institutes, I am excited to return to a liberal arts college where faculty-students interaction is priority.  I highly value the undergraduate research experience.  Personally, two months after I started college, I began to work in a chemistry lab doing research.  Research was what kept me interested in chemistry.  With the guidance of an excellent mentor who taught me so much—of chemistry and life as a professor in a liberal arts college—I was inspired to be a chemist.  Now, I want to pass this inspiration on to my own students.

I am primarily interested in material chemistry, especially material characterization and analysis from my previous research experience in biomembranes and nanoparticles.  I have lately broadened my research interest to flow chemistry, both in microfluidic channels and bench-scale reactors.  By applying my background in analytical instrumentation and surface chemistry, I am exploring the field of catalysis in organic synthesis reactions in a flow reactor vs. the conventional batch process.

When I’m not playing in the lab with my students, I enjoy taking long road trips across the country and photography.

Education

• B.A. Linfield College, 1999
• Ph.D. University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Analytical Chemistry, 2005

Research Interests

• Template-assisted nanomaterial synthesis, characterization and applications in environmental remediation and in drug delivery systems
• Flow synthesis with heterogeneous catalysts
• Microfluidic devices for analytical separation and organic synthesis

Recent Publications

• Feng, Z.V.; Buchman, J.T.; “Instrumental Analysis of Biodiesel Content in Commercial Diesel Blends: An Experiment for Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry”, J. Chem. Ed., ASAP.