Meet the Team: Weinan Leng

The National Center for Earth and Environmental Nanotechnology (NanoEarth) would like to present “Meet the Team” featuring Weinan Leng, Ph.D.

Leng currently serves as the Virginia Tech Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Laboratory Director. He completed a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Southeast University in China. With a background in chemistry and biomedical engineering, he became an original team member of the Virginia Tech Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (VTSuN). He was then promoted to VTSuN lab manager and an instrument specialist for NanoEarth. At NanoEarth, he serves as the chief scientist of all VTSuN facilities and an instrument manager for the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory (NCFL). He is responsible for day-to-day operations, user interactions and training, and often helps with on and off campus outreach events.

Leng often provides his expertise and advice to Virginia Tech researchers on choosing characterization tools for their research projects. His professional background includes laser based-vibrational spectroscopy for nonlinear material applications and nanosensor for environmental applications. During NanoEarth and NCFL tours, he often performs demonstrations on the X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS) and the Focused Ion Bean (FIB). He also manages the facility’s Raman and Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) which are essential for investigating nanoparticles in the environment including metal, oxide, mineral, micro plastics, and nano plastics.

In Leng’s free time he plays tennis, participates in community service, serves as a certified swim official, and operates the sound board at church. His personal goal is to provide the best assistance to users. True to this goal, he received the NNCI Staff Award for User Support in 2020. His advice to young researchers is to keep thinking about the big picture questions of science related to their research projects.