RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
Faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry maintain active research programs, involving undergraduate and graduate researchers in both laboratory and computational aspects of chemical research.
Working alongside active faculty, graduate and undergraduate students gain valuable research experience that extends far beyond typical classroom learning—presenting their research regularly at local, national and international conferences.
Our faculty conduct and publish research in diverse areas such as nanotechnology, natural product synthesis, atmospheric chemistry, catalysis, computational chemistry, and biochemistry.
RESEARCH AREAS
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Faculty focused on the area of Analytical Chemistry research:
- power generation and renewable energy
- environmental chemistry
- cultural heritage science
Learn more about our faculty's research interests and current work:
Research Interests: Power generation and renewable energy.
Research Interests: Amanda Grannas, PhD, conducts research on a wide range of topics under the umbrella of analytical environmental chemistry - including snow and ice photochemistry, the impacts of photochemistry on pollutant cycling, the role of organic matter in aquatic chemistry, Arctic atmospheric chemistry, and development of advanced analytical techniques to study organic materials in ice cores.
Research Interests: Anthony Lagalante, PhD, conducts analytical research in environmental chemistry and cultural heritage science. Environmental projects have used mass spectrometry (MS) to analyze molecules ranging from flame retardants to neonicotinoid insecticides. Cultural heritage science projects seek to advance MS based imaging techniques for the study and preservation of both historic and modern objects in the museum environment.
BIOCHEMISTRY
Faculty focused on the area of Biochemistry research:
- molecules in superfoods
- proteasome, a macromolecular machine inside all eukaryotic cells
- trypanosomes, an ancient parasite
- evolution of biological systems
- composition and structure of biological membranes and membrane proteins.
Learn more about our faculty's research interests and current work:
Research Interests: The Eggler lab studies how molecules in superfoods stimulate the body’s antioxidant, detoxification, and repair systems through activating the Nrf2 transcription factor. Activation of Nrf2 is believed to help prevent or mitigate chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases, arthritis, and asthma. We are particularly focused on the role of reactive oxygen species in Nrf2 activation.
Research Interests: In the Kraut lab, we study the proteasome, a macromolecular machine inside all eukaryotic cells responsible for unfolding and degrading proteins. We are specifically interested in factors that influence proteasomal processivity, or the tendency of the proteasome to either degrade or release its substrates.
Research Interests: Our laboratory works with trypanosomes. These ancient parasites are the causative agents of global disease today. We characterize proteins and biological processes in the parasites that are unique from the human host, with possible longer term therapeutic applications driving the projects we pursue.
Research Interests: I am interested in the evolution of biological systems, especially metabolic pathways, and the use of bioinformatics and genomics to understand the connectivity and evolution of metabolic systems. I am also interested in how combinations of molecules affect biological systems and using basic enzyme systems to understand how combinations of molecules affect the enzyme's function.
Research Interests: Understanding the composition and structure of biological membranes and membrane proteins. Current projects include the synthesis of membrane-active aminosterols, and the cloning, expression, and characterization of bacterial proteins predicted to act like mammalian prostaglandin synthases.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Faculty focused on the area of Inorganic Chemistry research:
- catalysis and chemical crystallography
- photochemical and electrochemical properties of transition metal complexes
- synthesis of organometallic compounds for use as polymerization catalysts
Learn more about our faculty's research interests and current work:
Research Interests: Catalysis and Chemical Crystallography.
Research Interests: Jared J. Paul, PhD, carries out research involving the synthesis and study of photochemical and electrochemical properties of transition metal complexes. Current work focuses on the design of complexes with protonatable groups that can function as either water oxidation catalysts or anti-cancer agents.
Research Interests: Deanna L. Zubris, PhD, conducts research involving the synthesis of organometallic compounds for use as polymerization catalysts. Past work has focused on catalyst development for coordination polymerization (ethylene and alpha-olefin monomers); current projects are directed towards free-radical polymerization, particularly Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP).
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Faculty focused on the area of Organic Chemistry research:
- carboranes and computational chemistry
- natural product synthesis and bio-organic chemistry
- synthetic organic and carbohydrate chemistry
- organic compounds that have antimicrobial effects
- mechanistic and structural organic chemistry
Learn more about our faculty's research interests and current work:
Research Interests: Carboranes and Computational Chemistry.
Research Interests: The Minbiole group studies organic compounds that have antimicrobial effects. One avenue of research investigates the antifungal chemicals produced by bacteria that inhabit amphibian skin. The rest of the group is working to develop novel antiseptics (specifically quaternary ammonium compounds or QACs) to combat the transmission of pathogenic bacteria such as MRSA.
Research Interests:
- Organic chemistry methods development. Students working with me will attempt to make biologically important small molecule scaffolds in new and innovative ways. More specifically, we use chiral organic molecules to catalyze enantioselective reactions or act as chiral auxiliaries toward enantioenriched products.
- Antibiotic discovery and evaluation. Students working with me will synthesize small organic molecules that have the potential to inhibit the growth of bacterial pathogens. This more interdisciplinary research focus will provide students the opportunity to apply modern organic chemistry methods toward compound synthesis as well as utilize current microbiological techniques to explore their biological activities.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY
Faculty focused on the area of Physical Chemistry research:
- nanomaterials and thin-films
- charge transfer in electrochemical devices
Learn more about our faculty's research interests and current work:
Research Interests: Ryan Jorn, PhD, conducts research on chemistry at interfaces and develops new methods to explore charge transfer in electrochemical devices. Existing computational chemistry methods are utilized, ranging from classical molecular dynamics to quantum mechanics, to study both the structure of electrolytes at electrode surfaces as well as transport properties. By developing multi-scale approaches, computer simulations can provide a guide to advance energy storage technology.