Faculty by Research Area

Biochemistry/Biophysics

: Linking the structure of protein aggregates to the cellular outcomes of neurodegenerative disease
: Dynamics of computationally designed and naturally occurring proteins
: Enzyme mechanism and dynamics study, plus gene function assignment

Computational Chemistry

: Use of ab initio computational modeling to understand the mechanism for asymmetric induction with organocatalysts
Jimenez-Hoyos Lab: New electronic structure methods for quantum chemical problems
: Use of ab initio computational modeling to understand the properties of π-conjugated molecules and mechanistic analysis of pericyclic reactions
: Protein molecular dynamics simulations and design, algorithm development
: Virtual inhibitor screening and protein molecular dynamics simulations
 (Integrative Sciences): Molecular dynamics simulations, network analysis
Frisch Lab (Tishler Professor): Prediction of molecular structure, properties and reaction mechanisms

Drug Design

: Development of natural product analogs as anticancer, antiviral, and antifungal therapeutic agents
: In vitro and in vivo studies toward neurodegenerative and cancer therapeutics
: In silico, in vitro and in vivo studies toward antibacterial drug discovery and development

Inorganic Chemistry

Westmoreland Lab: Development of MRI contrast agents, NMR properties of aqueous solutions of paramagnetic ions

Nanochemistry

: Design and synthesis of discrete π-conjugated compounds for use in organic electronic and optoelectronic materials
Gonzalez-Pech Lab: Design, synthesis, and characterization of nanomaterials for environmental applications

Organic Chemistry

: Organic molecules as asymmetric catalysts, synthesis of complex, biologically active natural products and their analogs
Synthesis and characterization of organic chromophores
: Methods to synthesize functional polymers focusing on renewable feedstocks, material reprocessing, and polymer end of life
: Design, synthesis, and analysis of π-conjugated molecules and pericyclic reactions
: Transition-state and mechanism-based enzyme inhibitor design

Physical Chemistry

: Time-resolved spectroscopy on π-conjugated molecules
Jimenez-Hoyos Lab: Properties of strongly correlated molecules and excited states in molecular aggregates
: Protein nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), dynamics of fluorescent molecules
Westmoreland Lab: Fundamental aspects of coupled group/multielectron transfer reactions

Polymer Chemistry

Use of systemically designed polymer scaffolds to study photophysical phenomena
: New methods to synthesize functional polymers with a focus on using renewable feedstocks, material reprocessing, and polymer end of life
: Use of self-assembly and dynamic covalent chemistry to design and assemble host-guest systems and discrete macromolecular aggregates.