Wei Wei, a materials science and engineering PhD student advised by Professor Padma Gopalan, received a summer fellowship from PPG to develop innovative new kinds of coating materials. PPG was founded in 1883 as Pittsburg Plate Galls, and now the company is a global supplier of paints, optical materials and polymer coatings that frequently partners with universities for sponsored research projects. Wei’s research focuses on growing polymer brushes from ultrathin coatings, which can be used to tune the chemical properties of interfaces. During the summer fellowship, Wei will continue to develop new polymers with unique properties and work on strategies to scale up the chemical reactions for industrial applications.