Zijie Yan was a prominent scientist and an associate professor of applied physical sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). He was known for his pioneering research on optical matter, nanomaterials, and optical manipulation. He was tragically killed in a campus shooting on August 28, 2023, by one of his graduate students, Tailei Qi.
BIO/Wiki
| Real Name | Zijie Yan |
| Birth Date | 1983 |
| Birth Place | China |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American, Chinese |
| Ethnicity | Asian |
| Died Aged | 40 years old |
| Died on | August 28, 2023 |
| Killed By | Tailei Qi |
| Height | In feet: 5’ 9″ In centimeters: 175.2 cm In meters: 1.752 m |
| Weight | Kg: 63.5 Pounds: 140 lbs |
| Eyes | Black |
| Hair | Black |
| College | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Huazhong University of Science and Technology |
| Worked As | Assistant Professor |
| Worked At | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| zijieyan | |
| Homepage | Dreshare.com |
Age, Education & Biography
Zijie Yan was born in China in 1983. He was 40 years old (at the time of death). He grew up in Jingmen, a city in the central province of Hubei. He showed an early interest in science and mathematics and excelled in his studies. He attended Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, where he obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics.
Parents & Siblings
According to the web search results, there is not much information available about Zijie Yan’s parents and siblings. He was born in China in 1983 and grew up in Jingmen, a city in the central province of Hubei. He moved to the United States in 2007 to pursue his PhD at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York.
He later joined the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral fellow and then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) as an assistant professor of applied physical sciences. He was married and had two children, who lived in China with his wife. He was killed in a campus shooting on August 28, 2023, by one of his graduate students, Tailei Qi.
Career
In 2007, he moved to the United States to pursue his doctoral degree in materials science and engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. There, he worked under the supervision of Professor Douglas B. Chrisey, a renowned expert in the laser processing of materials. Yan’s research focused on the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials using pulsed laser ablation in liquid.
He published several papers on the formation and properties of hollow nanoparticles, nanorods, nanospheres, and nanocomposites. He also developed a novel technique to fabricate anatase TiO2 single crystals with exposed {001} and {110} facets, which showed enhanced photocatalytic activity.
After completing his Ph.D. in 2012, Yan joined the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Professor Norbert F. Scherer, a leader in the field of optical matter. Optical matter is a new type of material that consists of nanoparticles that are bound together by light-induced forces.
Yan made significant contributions to this emerging field by demonstrating the optical trapping and manipulation of single silver nanowires, the guiding and spatial arrangement of silver nanoparticles by optical binding interactions in shaped light fields, the creation of material assemblies of silver nanoparticles using the phase gradients of optical tweezers, and the optical vortex induced rotation of silver nanowires.
He also explored the potential energy surfaces and reaction pathways for light-mediated self-organization of metal nanoparticle clusters using theoretical and computational methods. In 2019-2022, Yan was appointed as an assistant professor of applied physical sciences at UNC. He established his own research group and continued to work on the cutting-edge topics of optical matter, nanophotonics, and nanomaterials.
He received several grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to support his research. He also mentored several undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a research assistant. One of his PhD students was Tailei Qi, who joined his group in 2022.
Marriage, Wife & Kids
According to the web search results, Zijie Yan was a married man and a father of two children. However, his wife’s name and other details are not publicly available. He kept his personal life private and focused on his professional career as a scientist and a professor. He was born in China in 1983 and moved to the United States in 2007 to pursue his PhD at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York.
He later joined the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral fellow and then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) as an assistant professor of applied physical sciences. He was also the leader of the Yan Research Group, which specialized in optical matter, nanophotonics, and nanomaterials.
Zijie Yan Death & Obituary
On August 28, 2023, around 11:30 a.m., a shooting occurred at Caudill Laboratories on the UNC campus. The shooter was identified as Tailei Qi, who allegedly shot Zijie Yan multiple times with a handgun before fleeing the scene. Yan was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. The motive for the shooting is still unknown.
The shooting triggered a lockdown on the campus and nearby schools for about three hours as police searched for the suspect. Qi was eventually arrested by UNC police around 2:30 p.m. near Odum Village Apartments on campus without incident. He was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a weapon on educational property. He is being held at the Orange County Jail without bond and will appear in court on September 13.
The UNC community was shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of Yan, who was described as a “beloved” colleague, teacher, and friend by Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz. A vigil was held on August 30 at the Bell Tower to honor Yan’s memory and to support his family, friends, and students. Yan is survived by his wife and two children, who live in China.
Net worth
Zijie Yan’s net worth is estimated to be around $500,000. He earned his income from his salary as an assistant professor at UNC, which was reported to be around $80,000 per year. He also received research funding from various sources, such as NSF and DOE. He owned a house in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he lived alone.
Trivia/Facts
- Yan was born in China in 1983 and moved to the United States in 2007 to pursue his PhD at RPI.
- Zijie was an associate professor of applied physical sciences at UNC and a leading researcher in the field of optical matter, nanophotonics, and nanomaterials.
- Yan published more than 70 papers in peer-reviewed journals and had an h-index of 32.
- Yan was killed in a campus shooting on August 28, 2023, by one of his graduate students, Tailei Qi.
- Zijie Yan was married and had two children, who live in China with his wife.
- Zijie had a net worth of around $500,000 and owned a house in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
- Yan was an enthusiastic scientist and an outgoing friend who had a “resting sweet face” and a “huge smile” according to his former advisor.
- Zijie Yan was a selfless mentor who helped his lab mates and students without expecting anything in return.
- Yan was a pioneer in creating optical matter, a new type of material that consists of nanoparticles that are bound together by light-induced forces.
- Zijie developed novel techniques to trap, rotate, transport, and organize nanoparticles using optical tweezers, optical vortices, holography, and shaped light fields.
- Yan explored the potential energy surfaces and reaction pathways for light-mediated self-organization of metal nanoparticle clusters using theoretical and computational methods.
- Zijie received several grants from NSF and DOE to support his research on optical matter, nanophotonics, and nanomaterials.
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