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My Chem/Biochem

Research Groups

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Richard D. Adams Group Site

"Our research is focused on the organometallic chemistry of polynuclear complexes for use as catalysts for energy conversions of fossil fuels and for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons to higher value organic products."

Donna Chen

"Research in the Chen group focuses on understanding surface chemistry on the atomic and molecular level.  One of the main motivations of this work is to guide the development of new materials for heterogeneous catalysts."

Junfeng Chen Group Site

"The central research areas of our group are the innovation of novel synthetic strategies to access sequence-controlled polymers and the development of high-throughput, automated methodologies for polymer materials. We are particularly interested in studying the supramolecular behaviors of these materials, including polymer folding, assembly, and interactions with other molecules. These investigations drive the development of polymer-based artificial enzymes, polymer therapeutics, and advancements in polymer sustainability."

Sophya Garashchuk

Sophya Garashchuk Group Site

"Research in our group is centered on two broad issues – when does the quantum nature of nuclei affect chemical processes and how to include the zero-point energy, tunneling and other quantum effects into reactive dynamics simulations of large systems."

Ting Ge

"Ge group perform computational and theoretical research on polymer and soft materials." 

Andrew Greytak

Andrew B. Greytak Group Site

"We use microscopy, spectroscopy and electronic transport measurements to explore the role of the surface in dictating the properties of semiconductor nanowires and colloidal nanocrystals.  We are also interested in applications of nanomaterials in energy production and biological fluorescence imaging."

Amir Hosseini Group Site

"Our research group is broadly interested in studying the analysis of the microenvironment of heterogeneous electrocatalysis, engineering the electrode­solvent interface for electroorganic reactions, and the electrochemistry of environmental pollutants."

Christian Johnson Group Site

"The Johnson lab seeks to transform our understanding of disease using structural, biochemical, and biological techniques. We complement biophysical and theoretical approaches, such as x-ray crystallography, molecular dynamics simulations, molecular modeling, and general protein chemistry techniques, with disease modeling techniques in mammalian cell culture and genetically engineered mice."

John Lavigne

"The overriding goal in our lab is to understand and predictably control how molecules interact in order to develop new self-assembled materials for real world applications. For example, these assemblies can serve as diagnostics for cancer and food spoilage, as nano-porous materials for gas storage and separation, as novel conjugated polymers for use in OLEDs and PVs, and as new age plastics."

Heui Beom Lee Group Site

"The Lee group derives inspiration from bioinorganic systems and materials for the design and synthesis of mono- and multi-nuclear transition metal complexes. Fundamentally, our research strives to better understand the structure, properties, and reactivity of molecular complexes through extensive characterization and mechanistic studies."

Ka Ho Leung Group site

"We focus on developing subcellular imaging tools for organelle chemotype profiling and utilizing these in-house developed tools to understand biological processes and therapeutic potentials."

Qun Lu

 "We study cell signaling of small G-proteins (Ras, Rho, Arf, Rab and others) in human diseases by using chemical biology, biochemistry, computational biology, and mouse model genetics approaches. We are developing neurotherapeutics for small G-proteins with such tools as Schrödinger-based in silico simulation, surface plasmon resonance, and cell-based assays at high content and throughput levels."

Michael Myrick

"We're working to understand how nutrient conditions affect fluorescence properties of phytoplankton. This knowledge is being used to test phytoplankton as sensors for ocean composition. It is also being used to help identify phytoplankton by their pigmentation regardless of ocean composition"

Caryn Outten

Caryn E. Outten Group Site

"The C. Outten research group is focused on two interconnected projects:  (1) identifying the mechanisms for maintaining adequate intracellular levels of the essential metal iron, and (2) characterizing intracellular factors that control mitochondrial thiol redox balance.  We take a multidisciplinary approach to tackle these projects, combining bioinorganic, biochemical, genetic, and molecular and cell biology techniques."

Wayne Outten

F. Wayne Outten Group Site

"We study the homeostasis and metabolism of essential metals like copper, iron and zinc, with the goals of disrupting metal metabolism in bacteria during infection and correcting defects in human metal metabolism that lead to disease."

Dmitry V. Peryshkov

Dmitry V. Peryshkov Group Site

"Our research involves the synthesis of molecular catalysts for activation of important substrates such as dihydrogen, carbon dioxide, and alkenes. Our focus is on renewable energy, catalysis, inorganic, and organometallic chemistry."

Vitaly Rassolov Group Site

"Our quantum dynamics group is developing theory and methodology suitable for simulations of large molecular systems influenced by quantum mechanics.   We always welcome motivated students, from pre-college to doctoral, interested in the fundamental level understanding of chemical and physical processes.  You will learn how to think, come up with and formulate a theory, how to program and use computational chemistry software and our unique group codes. In research we use LINUX desktops, computer clusters and supercomputers."

Susan Richardson

"My group is investigating the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water and swimming pools to solve important human health issues.  We use GC/MS and LC/ MS in our research, and work closely with toxicologists and epidemiologists to determine which DBPs may be responsible, with the ultimate goal of eliminating them in drinking water and swimming pools."

Ken Shimizu

Ken D. Shimizu Group Site

"We make molecular devices such as molecular rotors, switches, and balances.  One application for the devices is to measure weak non-covalent interactions.  We also make molecularly-imprinted polymers for sensing and separation applications."

Linda Shimizu

Linda S. Shimizu Group Site

"We are interested in developing predictable supramolecular chemistry using noncovalent urea-urea interactions to build an array of porous structures with tunable cavities, designed to bind specific guests."

Natalia Shustova

Natalia Shustova Group Site

"We design photoswitches, artificial biomimetic systems, and materials for sustainable energy conversion based on porous graphitic frameworks."

Olja Simosjka Group Site

"Our research group investigates important questions at the interface of chemistry, biology, and medical research, employing a combination of analytical chemistry, electrochemical methods, spectroscopic imaging, as well as experimental approaches in microbiology."

Morgan Stefik

Morgan Stefik Group Site

"We are developing new polymer-based methods to control the fabrication of advanced nanomaterials.  Our work spans from molecules to devices where the novel material chemistries we develop are taken from concept through to functioning devices such as fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, photovoltaics, and solar fuels."

Chuanbing Tang

Chuanbing Tang Group Site

"We focus on the synthesis of advanced functional polymeric materials, including sustainable chemicals and polymers from biomass, organometallics and metallopolymers, and polymers for biomedical applications, and energy storage."

Nicholas Truex

"We are developing molecular tools to study and direct the function of immune pathways. These tools include peptides, proteins, and small molecules that we envision will enable immunotherapies for treating cancer and pathogenic diseases."

Aaron Vannucci

Aaron K. Vannucci Group Site

"We design, synthesize, and characterize transition metal catalysts capable of small molecule transformations important to the advancement of alternative energy.  Our research focus is the development of electrocatalytic and photocatalytic routes for the production of fuels such as H2 and hydrocarbons."

Wendell Walters

"My group explores the intricate interplay between atmospheric chemistry, the environment, and climate. We employ cutting-edge analytical techniques such as LC/MS, GC/MS, and spectroscopy. These techniques enable us to monitor the concentrations and isotope compositions of trace gases and aerosol components in laboratory experiments and field campaigns.  To gain comprehensive insights, we utilize advanced 3-D atmospheric chemistry and transport models, which serve as valuable tools for interpreting field observations and experimental results. By leveraging this multidisciplinary approach, we aim to unravel the connections between atmospheric chemistry, the environment, and climate to help achieve a more sustainable future."

Hui Wang

Hui Wang Group Site

"The central theme of our research is to use novel physical chemistry approaches, specifically spectroscopies and microscopies, to develop quantitative understanding of novel nanophotonic materials systems and conformationally dynamic biomolecules."

Qian Wang

Qian Wang Group Site

"Our research is focused on bioconjugation chemistry and biomaterials development.  We are exploring novel synthetic and biological methods in order to create materials and functionalities at the nanometer scale."

Sheryl Wiskur

Sheryl L. Wiskur Group Site

"Our research focuses on synthetic organic methodology, specifically employing silicon as a tool to separate enantiomers, derivatize diastereomers, and employ as catalysts.  These transformations offer a replacement to traditional ways of performing these reactions, ultimately providing new tools for synthetic chemists."


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