About

Christopher Chang is the Edward and Virginia Taylor Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry at Princeton University. His laboratory studies the chemistry and biology of the elements, advancing new concepts in imaging, proteomics, drug discovery, and catalysis by drawing from core disciplines of inorganic, organic, and biological chemistry. His research includes developing activity-based sensing as a platform to identify transition metals, reactive oxygen species, and one-carbon units as single-atom signals for allosteric regulation of protein function. These chemical tools reveal metal and redox disease vulnerabilities, serving as targets for drug discovery efforts to treat neurodegeneration, cancer, and metabolic disorders. His work encompasses the bioinorganic chemistry of transition metal signaling, particularly focusing on nutrients like copper and iron as dynamic signals beyond their traditional roles as cofactors. He develops activity-based sensing probes for imaging metal pools and identifying allosteric metal sites in proteins, which are used to decipher complex biological processes related to sleep, cognition, obesity, and disease states such as cancer and neurodegeneration. Chang's research also pioneers activity-based sensing for imaging one- and two-carbon metabolites, elucidating their influence on genetic and epigenetic regulation in cancer metabolism, neurodegeneration, and immune responses. Additionally, his group establishes the field of single-atom signaling, exploring how reversible modifications like oxygen addition or removal on proteins affect their function, with the aim of identifying new drug targets and developing next-generation precision medicines.

Research topics

• Nuclear physics
• Mechanics
• Computer Science
• Physics
• Engineering
• Materials science
• Environmental science
• Atomic physics
• Nuclear engineering

Selected publications

• Performance investigation of DETA- and EDA-based green hypergolic fuels with 90% hydrogen peroxide

  Aerospace Science and Technology · 2026-03-31

  article1st author
  PublisherDOI

• Measuring signatures of host resistance, disease tolerance, and damage in human sepsis: a prospective cohort study

  Intensive Care Medicine · 2026-04-07

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: To understand how protein biomarkers in blood and urine that are aligned with host resistance to infection, disease tolerance, and damage are associated with clinical outcomes and sepsis subtypes in community-onset sepsis. METHODS: Adults meeting Sepsis-3 criteria were prospectively enrolled within 6 h of emergency department arrival and assigned clinical subtypes (α, β, γ, δ), using the Sepsis ENdotyping in Emergency CAre (SENECA) approach. Using structured expert ranking with consensus adjudication, 16 plasma and urinary biomarkers obtained from remnant biospecimens were grouped into three mechanistic axes contributing to sepsis pathophysiology: host resistance to infection, disease tolerance, and damage to the host. Biomarkers for each concept were analyzed with principal component analysis as a signature, and multivariable logistic regression tested associations of each signature with 90-day mortality and sepsis subtype membership. RESULTS: Among 444 adults, the mean age was 60 years [SD: 16], the mean SOFA score was 4.3 [SD: 2.3], and 90-day mortality was 17%. After adjustment for age, sex, and race, greater damage to the host was associated with increased 90-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.70; 95% CI 1.38-2.11; p < 0.001), while greater host resistance (aOR = 0.83; 95% CI 0.54-1.10; p = 0.4) and greater disease tolerance (aOR = 0.83; 95% CI 0.68-1.01; p = 0.06) were not. Differences across sepsis subtypes were most pronounced for disease tolerance and damage signatures, where the δ‑type patients exhibited higher damage and lower disease tolerance and the α‑type patients had lower damage and higher disease tolerance. CONCLUSION: Biomarker signatures aligned with host resistance to infection, disease tolerance, and damage to the host, informed by expert consensus, were associated with clinical outcomes and sepsis subtype membership.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Enhancing nursing education through e-portfolios: evaluating the impact on learning effectiveness, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction of NPGY trainees

  BMC Medical Education · 2025-07-31

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Traditionally, learning was documented using paper-based systems, leading to challenges in tracking and evaluating progress. Electronic portfolios (e-portfolios), offering digital documentation and real-time feedback, have become increasingly popular in clinical education. This study aims to assess the impact of e-portfolios on the learning effectiveness, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction of nursing postgraduate year (NPGY) trainees. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 114 NPGY trainees in a medical center in northern Taiwan. The questionnaire collected data on demographics, e-portfolio satisfaction, assessment tool satisfaction, technology acceptance model (TAM), learning effectiveness, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction. Statistical analyses, including t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation, were performed to evaluate the relationships between variables. RESULTS: Satisfaction with e-portfolios, assessment tools, and TAM significantly impacted learning effectiveness (p < .001), self-efficacy (p < .001), and job satisfaction (p < .001). The self-efficacy of trainees in the 1-2 years stage was higher than those in the 0-3 months stage (p < .05). Although the job satisfaction score was lowest during the 4-12 months stage, the difference was not statistically significant, indicating a need for targeted interventions during this period. CONCLUSIONS: E-portfolios positively influence the learning outcomes and job satisfaction of NPGY trainees. Continuous usage and enhancement of e-portfolios are recommended to meet user needs and provide a supportive learning environment, especially during critical stages of training. Future research should explore strategies to optimize e-portfolio features to further improve professional development and satisfaction.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Fast and Invertible Simplicial Approximation of Magnetic‐Following Interpolation for Visualizing Fusion Plasma Simulation Data

  Computer Graphics Forum · 2025-05-23

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We introduce a fast and invertible approximation for fusion plasma simulation data represented as 2D planar meshes with connectivities approximating magnetic field lines along the toroidal dimension in deformed 3D toroidal spaces. Scientific variables (e.g., density and temperature) in these fusion data are interpolated following a complex magnetic‐field‐line‐following scheme in the toroidal space represented by a cylindrical coordinate system. This deformation in the 3D space poses challenges for root‐finding and interpolation. To this end, we propose a novel paradigm for visualizing and analyzing such data based on a newly developed algorithm for constructing a 3D simplicial mesh within the deformed 3D space. Our algorithm generates a tetrahedral mesh that connects the 2D meshes using tetrahedra while adhering to the constraints on node connectivities imposed by the magnetic field‐line scheme. Specifically, we first divide the space into smaller partitions to reduce complexity based on the input geometries and constraints on connectivities. Then, we independently search for a feasible tetrahedralization of each partition, considering nonconvexity. We demonstrate our method with two X‐Point Gyrokinetic Code (XGC) simulation datasets on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and Wendelstein 7‐X (W7‐X), and use an ocean simulation dataset to substantiate broader applicability of our method. An open source implementation of our algorithm is available at https://github.com/rcrcarissa/DeformedSpaceTet .

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• ALMA 3 mm polarimetry of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei

  Astronomy and Astrophysics · 2025-10-06 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  The compact millimeter emission ubiquitously found in radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (RQ AGNs) exhibits properties consistent with synchrotron radiation from a small region (≤1 light day) and undergoing self-absorption below ∼100 GHz. Several scenarios have been proposed for its origin, including an X-ray corona, a scaled-down jet, or outflow-driven shocks, which can be tested via millimeter polarimetry. In the optically thin regime, synchrotron emission is expected to show polarization up to ∼70%, but disordered magnetic fields and Faraday rotation reduce this to a few percent for jets and outflows, while an X-ray corona is likely to result in complete depolarization. To investigate this, we conducted the first ALMA Band 3 full-polarization observations of three RQ AGNs – NGC 3783, MCG 5–23–16, and NGC 4945. No polarized signal was detected in any of the AGNs, with an upper limit of 0.5–1.5%, supporting the X-ray corona scenario. However, we detected a compact source with 17% polarization in NGC 3783, 20 pc away from the AGN, co-spatial with the millimeter and narrow-line outflow, likely linked to a shock propagating through the outflowing material. Additionally, combining our data with archival ALMA observations, we found typical millimeter variability in RQ AGNs by a factor of 2.

  PublisherDOI

• Difference in Neoclassical Edge Flows Between Strongly Negative and Positive Triangularities in the XGC Gyrokinetic Simulation

  ArXiv.org · 2025-10-06

  preprintOpen access

  The neoclassical baseline study of a strongly negative triangularity (NT) plasma and the corresponding positive triangularity plasma is performed using the edge-specialized, total-f gyrokinetic code XGC. A DIII-D-like plasma is used, based on the negative triangularity discharge of DIII-D \#193793. An artificial positive triangularity (PT) equilibrium has been constructed to compare the edge rotation physics at the same triangularity strength, but with opposite sign, while keeping the same elongation and other geometric parameters. Carbon(+6) ions are added to the deuterium plasma at an experimentally relevant level. By using the experimental profile of carbon toroidal rotation profile as an input, XGC finds that the deuteron rotation is significantly different from the carbon rotation at the inboard and outboard midplanes, mostly caused by the difference in the Pfirsch-Schluter rotation. More importantly, significant difference in the X-point orbit loss physics, thus the rotation source, is found between the positive and negative triangularity equilibrium models. However, it is also found that the agreement between the present neoclassical simulation and the experimental NT data is validated only within the middle of pedestal slope, indicating the importance of edge turbulence. This study could establish baseline for the multiphysics, multiscale studies that include turbulence of negative triangularity plasmas.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• [Application of Entrustable Professional Activities in Clinical Nursing Education].

  PubMed · 2025-08-01

  other

  Traditional competency-based education models are no longer adequate to address the practical training needs of nursing education. The concept of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) has been introduced to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical practice. EPAs offer a task-based, competency-integrated framework for both instruction and assessment, transforming abstract competencies into observable and assessable clinical tasks. This paper explores the origin and theoretical foundation of EPAs, their structured components, and their practical application in clinical nursing education. Evidence suggests EPAs enhance teaching quality and clinical learning outcomes while fostering professional autonomy and sense of responsibility in learners. It is recommended nursing educators develop training in EPA-based instructional design and that standardized assessment tools and trust-based decision-making mechanisms be developed. These efforts can support professional growth and enhance the alignment between nursing education and clinical practice.

  PublisherDOI

• Perhydroxylated benzoquinoid covalent triazine framework for ultra-high-density lithium-ion storage

  Chemical Engineering Journal · 2025-09-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Sustainable organic electrode materials have gained tremendous attention as a major alternative to non-renewable inorganic intercalation electrodes. Structural design flexibility, redox tunability, and low-carbon-footprint processing drive research efforts on highly-stable covalently-assembled organic frameworks. Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) with porous non-crystalline features are promising due to easily accessible redox-active sites and bipolar triazine centers capable of undergoing both n-doping and p-doping redox processes, potentially leading to high capacity. However, most of these polymeric materials reported so far still contain a vast portion of electrochemically-inactive units, resulting in a large unit weight per electron uptake, which inevitably lowers the energy density of batteries. Herein, we have utilized the most compact fully-functionalized monomer 1,4-dicyano-2,3,5,6-tetrahydroxybenzene to synthesize a perhydroxylated benzoquinoid CTF, Q-CTF-OH, via trimerization, resulting in a framework structure without any redox-inactive moieties. In situ conversion of the hydroxyl to carbonyl groups during the ionothermal synthesis maximizes storage sites for lithium, allowing Q-CTF-OH to have the highest density of redox centers in all organic framework cathodes known to date. The remaining polar hydroxyl groups are crucial in stabilizing inserted lithium ions and facilitating ionic transport, leading to superior electrochemical performance. Q-CTF-OH delivers a capacity as high as 689 mAh g −1 at 200 mA g −1 and a reversible capacity of 180 mAh g −1 at 20 A g −1 corresponding to 99 % retention after 1000 cycles. This work highlights design strategies for organic-based electrode materials for next-generation sustainable energy storage. • Perhydroxylated benzoquinoid covalent triazine framework (CTF) is synthesized. • Most compact fully-functionalized monomer without redox-inactive units is used. • In situ conversion of hydroxyl to carbonyl during synthesis maximizes Li storage. • The CTF has highest density of redox centers in all organic framework cathodes.

  PublisherDOI

• Global Gyrokinetic Simulations of Isotope Effects under Ambipolar Electric Fields and Advances Toward Whole-Volume Modeling

  Journal of Fusion Energy · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We review global gyrokinetic simulation studies on plasma transport in the Large Helical Device using XGC-S. XGC-S is an extended version of X-point Gyrokinetic Code for stellarators and has been progressively verified throughout the code development process. Verification tests of neoclassical transport successfully demonstrate the generation of an ambipolar electric field due to ripple-trapped particles. We perform quasi-linear analyses of the ion temperature gradient mode under the influence of the ambipolar electric field. The results reveal that the ambipolar electric field and the heavy hydrogen component in mixed isotope plasmas can lead to the favorable isotope effect observed in recent deuterium experiments. We also present recent efforts in code development toward whole-volume simulations, including the helical divertor region. A mesh generation scheme based on field-line tracing and the construction of curved surfaces perpendicular to the magnetic field would be promising for global field calculations in the whole-volume simulations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• INCIDENCE, PREVALENCE AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF WISKOTT-ALDRICH SYNDROME IN THE UNITED STATES; 2010-2024

  Annals of Allergy Asthma & Immunology · 2025-11-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• S. Ku

  477 shared

• R. Hager

  Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  279 shared

• Scott Parker

  Duke University

  183 shared

• R.M. Churchill

  Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  166 shared

• P. H. Diamond

  Queen Mary University of London

  106 shared

• Scott Klasky

  103 shared

• J. Dominski

  Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  97 shared

• Zhihong Lin

  91 shared

Labs

• Chris Chang GroupPI

Education

• PhD, Physics

  University of Texas at Austin

  1979

Awards & honors

• 2024 – ACS Bader Award in Bioorganic or Bioinorganic Chemist…
• 2022 – Ivano Bertini Award, International Conference on Copp…
• 2021 – Guggenheim Fellowship
• 2020 – Humboldt Award
• 2019 – Sackler Prize in Chemistry