Yan Yu, a scientist trained in both chemistry and engineering whose research focuses on developing nanotechnologies to detect and treat immune-related diseases, is the inaugural Art Krieg Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. An installation ceremony took place March 31.
Yu joined the Department of Chemistry in WashU Arts & Sciences in fall 2025, arriving from Indiana University-Bloomington. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at WashU McKelvey Engineering.
At the ceremony, Yu described how science had offered her a path to move beyond her humble beginnings, growing up in the countryside in China.
"Getting a good education was almost the only way for kids like me to get out of poverty," Yu said. "I was very lucky to have supportive parents and teachers who did their best with the limited resources they had."
So, when Yu became a professor, after decades of study and hard work, she looked for ways to help others. "I asked myself, How can we teach in ways that benefit all students, especially the ones like me?" she said. As Yu has continued to advance in her research career, she has remained deeply committed to lowering boundaries to science and engineering education and expanding access to scientific training.
Today, Yu is a pioneer in nanoparticle-based imaging tools to probe immune cell function in infection. Yu and members of her laboratory team are engineering nanomaterials for cancer immunotherapy and antimicrobial applications. At her installation ceremony, Yu gave a talk, "Breaking Barriers: From Immune Cells to Classrooms."
"We are stronger when we break down the boundaries that traditionally separate disciplines," said Feng Sheng Hu, the Richard G. Engelsmann Dean of Arts & Sciences and the Lucille P. Markey Distinguished Professor, who spoke at the ceremony. "Yan's work in immune-related diseases is a perfect example of this convergent research approach, combining chemistry, engineering and biology to create impactful discoveries that could save lives."
"Yan Yu's research shows how tightly the traditional sciences like chemistry, physics and biology are fundamentally intertwined with engineering," said Aaron F. Bobick, dean and the James M. McKelvey Professor at WashU McKelvey Engineering. "Her research in nanotechnology and imaging tools merges so well with ongoing research in several departments in McKelvey Engineering, and our faculty and students are gaining new perspectives from her work."
Yu's professorship honors the legacy of Arthur M. Krieg, MD '83, whose pioneering work in immunotherapy ushered in a new wave of cancer therapeutics and disease prevention, including the development of the anthrax vaccine around the turn of the 21st century. Krieg attended the installation ceremony with his wife, Debbie, and with Mike and Tana Powell, longtime WashU advocates who established the professorship in his name.
Speaking of the Powells, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin said: "With their gift to establish the Art Krieg professorship, they further ensure that WashU continues to foster the best in basic science, without which advances in biotechnology would remain beyond our grasp."
About Yu
Yu earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Peking University in Beijing in 2004 and a PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign in 2009. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley, and then was a faculty member at Indiana University-Bloomington.
Yu's research has led to two patents and several pending applications on nanoparticle platforms for immunotherapy and antibacterial applications. She has received numerous honors and grants for her research, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Maximizing Investigators' Research Award, Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan and a Scialog Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. She was named a Cottrell Scholar and a Sloan Research Fellow.
Yu has developed undergraduate courses that present core scientific concepts through accessible and creative frameworks, including "Chemistry of Art," which integrates chemistry with visual arts to engage students from diverse academic backgrounds. Her dedication to inclusive, student-centered teaching and mentoring has been recognized twice with teaching awards at Indiana University.
Yu is married to Yi Yi, a staff scientist in chemistry in Arts & Sciences. They have two children, Alexandria and Andrew.
About Arthur M. Krieg
Krieg is a well-known scientist and entrepreneur in genetic medicine. He graduated from Haverford College in 1979, earned his medical degree from WashU Medicine in 1983 and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Minnesota. He was a staff fellow at the NIH from 1986 to 1991, when he joined the University of Iowa, becoming a professor in the division of rheumatology. Krieg had 19 years of patient care experience, although his focus has always been on research and teaching.
Krieg discovered the immune stimulatory CpG DNA motif in 1994, which led to a new approach to immunotherapy and vaccine adjuvants. Based on this technology, he co-founded Coley Pharmaceutical Group in 1997, which was later acquired by Pfizer. Krieg served in various leadership roles at Pfizer and at other companies he co-founded. Krieg co-founded a journal, Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, which he edited for 16 years, and the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society, for which he recently served as president.
He is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School RNA Therapeutics Institute. Krieg recently founded Zola Therapeutics, with the goal of advancing cancer immunotherapy.
About Mike and Tana Powell
Mike and Tana Powell have been actively engaged at WashU for more than a decade. They served as chairs of the Parents Fund and the Parents Council. Mike was elected to the university's Board of Trustees in 2014 and served until 2022. He is currently a member of WashU Medicine's biopharm advisory committee and chair of the chemistry advisory board.
He earned a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Toronto in 1981 and completed postdoctoral studies at the University of California. He launched a career in pharmaceutical drug development and biotechnology at Syntex/Roche and later at Genentech. In 1997, Mike joined a venture capital group, Sofinnova Investments, as a managing general partner, and in 2021, he became an executive partner at Omega Funds. During his career as a venture capitalist, he has helped found and scale dozens of biotech companies - many of which have developed life-saving therapies in oncology, neurology and other critical areas of medicine.
Tana earned a bachelor's degree in printmaking from York University in Toronto and did postgraduate work in printmaking at the University of California, Santa Barbara. A talented artist, she developed her career as art director of the Oakland Tribune and design director for San Diego City Magazine.
Mike and Tana Powell's support for WashU faculty also extends to the Mike and Tana Powell Professorship, a position they established in 2016 to strengthen the field of chemistry in Arts & Sciences. Gary Patti, MA '05, PhD '08, a pioneer in metabolomics, became the inaugural recipient in 2017.
