Yinsheng Wang, a UC Riverside distinguished professor of chemistry, has won a highly competitive research grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, or NIEHS.

Wang was one of five scientists nationally to receive the Revolutionizing Innovative, Visionary Environmental Health Research, or RIVER, award which provides grant funding to mid-career and established researchers and supports groundbreaking projects in environmental health sciences. The institute, which announced the grants July 7, provided another six awards in a separate category for early career researchers.

Wang will study how alkylated DNA lesions affect genomic stability and can lead to diseases. His project was among those chosen to provide a greater understanding how specific genetic mechanisms can worsen diseases as part of environmental exposure.

The RIVER grant provides $7 million in funding for eight years to support research projects in the Wang laboratory.

“The RIVER award seeks scientists that have demonstrated the potential for continued innovative research and supports the majority of their established independent research program,” said Jennifer Collins, RIVER coordinator for NIEHS.