Victor Lin

Victor Lin, 43, a professor of chemistry at Iowa State University (ISU) and program director for chemical and biological sciences at the Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, died on May 4 in Iowa City following a brief illness.

Born in Taiwan, Lin received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from National Chung Hsing University, in Taichung, Taiwan. He then earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. He served as a postdoctoral fellow at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., before becoming a member of the chemistry faculty at ISU in 1999.

He joined Ames Laboratory in 2001 and became program director for its Chemical & Biological Sciences Program in 2007. Earlier this year, he was named the second John D. Corbett Professor in Chemistry at ISU.

Lin’s research focused on the design of multifunctionalized heterogeneous catalysts with unique nanoporous structures and high selectivity. He helped found a company, Catilin, to commercialize the use of such catalysts in the production of biofuels.

Three patents and 58 journal articles resulted from Lin’s work. He received a National Science Foundation Career Award, an ISU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Award for Early Achievement in Research, an Outstanding Technology Development Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium and the ISU Award for Mid-Career Achievement in Research.

He was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Materials Research Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi, and ACS, which he joined in 1993.

Lin is survived by his wife, Show-Ling; and their two sons, Derek and Ryan.