THE MELODIES OF MATERIALS
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10/17/2025 ⋅ By Rishi Pai ⋅ 4 min read
Inside the Jin Lab: My Experience as an Intern
Measuring out MBHA Resin for the Setup of the Peptide Synthesis Process
This past year, I was fortunate to work as a research intern in the Jin Lab at Georgia State University’s Department of Chemistry. The experience completely changed the way I think about chemistry, biomaterials, and what it means to do PhD-level research.
The Jin Lab specializes in peptide chemistry and biomaterials for drug delivery, which meant I got to dive into a PhD mentor’s project on sulfobetaine-based zwitterionic amino acids. The main challenge we tackled was improving the water solubility of hydrophobic peptides, a major hurdle in making peptide therapeutics more practical. Even though peptides have significant potential as biological tools, their poor solubility often limits their use. Zwitterionic amino acids, with both positive and negative charges, seemed like the solution to this problem.
At first, I was shadowing, but before long, I was actually contributing to the project. I learned how to purify zwitterionic amino acids and incorporate them into peptides using a microwave-assisted CEM Liberty Blue peptide synthesizer. This was my first time handling automated solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), and it was amazing to see how planning on a computer, hands-on chemistry, and advanced instruments all worked together to build complex molecules. Designing a peptide sequence on a screen and then seeing it come to life in the lab made chemistry feel more real and exciting than ever before.
After synthesizing the peptides, I helped characterize them using MALDI-MS. Learning how to interpret mass spectra showed me just how much analytical chemistry matters in research. I also worked with my mentor to cyclize the linear peptide by forming an amide bond, which made the molecule both more complex and more practical. Watching the project move from an idea to actual data, and now toward publication, has been incredibly rewarding, especially since a manuscript is in the works.
Alongside my work in the lab, I also got to dive into scientific writing. I helped draft a review article called “Enhancing Peptide Hydrophilicity in SPPS Using Fmoc Noncanonical Amino Acids,” which is now under review at ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. Writing a review was a whole new challenge compared to benchwork. I spent hours digging through papers, piecing together results from across the field, and turning complicated data into clear, technical writing. This experience made me realize that research isn’t finished until you can communicate it well.
Beyond my own projects, one of the most fulfilling aspects of my internship was mentoring other high school students from across Metro Atlanta. I helped guide them through foundational lab techniques, including running chemical reactions and peptide synthesis, using HPLC, and understanding standard spectrometry methods. Teaching others reinforced my understanding and reminded me of the power of mentorship in lowering barriers to advanced research.
Throughout the internship, I learned the entire peptide synthesis process from designing structures and picking resins to running microwave-assisted synthesis, cleaving peptides, purifying them with HPLC, and analyzing them with ESI and MALDI-MS. I picked up skills like TLC, peptide cyclization, and drawing chemical structures, all things that once seemed out of reach for me as a high school student. I also got to attend and present at group meetings and department seminars, which taught me how to explain science clearly, defend my ideas, and ask better questions.
This internship taught me so much more than chemistry: it showed me how scientists think, communicate, and work together to build new knowledge. The work in this lab will stay with me forever. From the hum of the peptide synthesizer to the quiet focus of analyzing spectra late in the afternoon, this experience has solidified my desire to pursue research at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and materials. There is still so much left to discover, and I’m excited to keep sharing that journey here. In the lab, I graduated to working on my own project on soluble peptides, and I am excited to share my progress with you all. But until dhin . . . stay upbeat and stay tuned.