At the Chang Lab, University of Kansas, we develop functional nucleic acids, including aptamers and DNAzymes, to build smarter molecular tools for biosensing, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
News
May 2026
🎉 Maximillian Receives JK Lee Award
Congratulations to Dr. Maximillian Chibuike on receiving the JK Lee Award from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kansas. Maximillian completed his Ph.D. in Professor Steven Soper’s group and is now a postdoctoral researcher in the Chang Lab. We are excited to have him on our team and congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition!
Apr 2026
🎉 Nick Receives NSF GRFP Award
Congratulations to Nick Tobin on receiving the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP)! This highly competitive award recognizes outstanding graduate students with exceptional potential for research and academic excellence.
Apr 2026
🎉 Javan Named 2026 Berger Summer Scholar
Javan has been selected as a 2026 Berger Summer Scholar by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kansas. This award recognizes his strong performance and research potential, and provides full summer support to focus on his work. Congratulations, Javan!
Apr 2026
Seminar at Kansas State University
Dingran presented a seminar to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Kansas State University. Many thanks to Dr. Eric Ninghao Zhu for the kind invitation!
Feb 2026
Seminar at KU Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Dingran presented a seminar to the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and thanks Dr. Michael Zhuo Wang for the kind invitation.
Feb 2026
Welcome to Our New Undergraduate Researchers!
We are excited to welcome Ashlynn, Carson, Logan, and Nathan as the Chang Lab’s first undergraduate researchers!
Feb 2026
Seminar at KU Medical Center
Dingran presented a seminar to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, thanks to the kind invitation from Dr. Prakash Kharel.
Jan 2026
Welcome to Our New Lab Members
I'm excited to welcome new members to the group! Nick Tobin and Javan Surtan are joining the lab as first-year graduate students. We are also thrilled to welcome Nishama De Silva Mohotti and Maximillian Chibuike, who are joining as postdoctoral researchers. A huge welcome to all!
Dec 2025
Dingran Presents at Pacifichem 2025
Dingran attended Pacifichem 2025, held in Honolulu, Hawaii. During the conference, Dingran presented a talk titled “Programmable affinity: designing aptamers to meet diverse application needs” and had the opportunity to reconnect with many old friends and meet new colleagues. Many thanks to Maxim V. Berezovski and Yingfu Li for the kind invitation.
Oct 2025
Dingran Presents at MUACC 2025
Dingran attended the Midwest Universities Analytical Chemistry Conference (MUACC 2025), held this year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was his first time at MUACC, and the chalk-talk format made the science discussions lively and fun! Special thanks to Matthew Lockett for hosting such a great conference!
Aug 2025
Chang Lab is Officially Open at KU!
We’re excited to announce that the Chang Lab has officially opened in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kansas — Rock Chalk, Jayhawk! Our doors are open, and we’re excited to connect with students, researchers, and collaborators. Come say hello to Dingran in MRB Room 220E (Office) or stop by our lab in MRB Rooms 250, 250A, 252, and 254. Whether you’re interested in functional nucleic acids, biosensing, or just curious about what we do, we’d love to chat and show you around!
