Chenguang Fan, assistant professor of biochemistry, has received a 2018 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities sponsors the award program, which provides seed money for research by junior faculty members. The $5,000 award is matched by the recipients' home institutions.

"I'd like to congratulate Dr. Fan on this accomplishment," said Kim Needy, interim vice provost for research and innovation. "This is a selective and prestigious award, and it is a great honor for him and for the university."

Fan's research in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences focuses on the production of chemicals using bacteria.

He studies how bacteria use enzymes to modify proteins and looks for ways to improve this process. Fan also studies the effects of protein modification on the Salmonella bacteria. His research has applications in many fields, including chemical and fuel production, pharmaceutical manufacturing and the food industry.

Fan came to the University of Arkansas in 2016. He received a doctorate from Iowa State University, and was a postdoctoral associate at Yale University.

His research interests include protein biochemistry, microbiology, and synthetic biology. His work has applications in the area of food safety and biofuels.