Research in our group focuses on modulating protein-protein interactions through the use of small molecules and bio-inspired peptide scaffolds. Within this interdisciplinary research program, we combine techniques in organic synthesis, biophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology to investigate the folding/misfolding and disease pathways of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Our research program exploits the bio-orthogonality and the
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“Research Interests: Focuses on the fundamental and applied aspects of electrochemical energy conversion and storage to reduce the carbon footprint of energy use and by providing energy alternatives to fossil fuel. To this end, group focuses on three major topics: a.Large-scale energy storage in batteries to enable renewable energy generation, b.Developing advanced materials and systems
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Interactions between iron and dioxygen are ubiquitous in Nature. The Que lab focuses primarly on the unique challenges associated with dioxygen activation by nonheme iron in biological systems. The research effort in the Que lab combines biological methods and inorganic synthesis with a range of spectroscopic and kinetic techniques to investigate how iron can activate
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Our research involves materials synthesis by templating and self-assembly methods. Using polymer or surfactant templates we can control the architecture of porous and nanostructured materials and create products with special properties. Examples include non-toxic pigments that can change colors, electrodes for rechargeable lithium batteries that can be charged or discharged more quickly, bone-graft materials with
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“Unlike random heteropolymers, proteins fold into unique ordered structures guided by their amino acid sequence. In the folded states proteins are not static but undergo structural changes in response to change in the pH, ligand binding, etc. that governs their function. Understanding the detailed mechanisms underlying these processes is essential to complete knowledge of protein
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The theme of the research in the Jain lab hinges on the question: how can we use light to interface better with molecules and nanostructures? The goal is to use light in unique ways to: i) resolve important nanoscale or molecular processes that are not well understood, or, ii) induce novel optoelectronic or photochemical behavior
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“Our present research is at the crossroads of materials science and physical and analytical electrochemistry. We are engaged in interdisciplinary research projects that involve graduate and undergraduate students from different disciplines. Students receive broad training in the fundamental and practical aspects of analytical measurements, electrochemistry, diamond and related carbon materials science, basic neurophysiology and neuropharmacology
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“In the Waters lab, we predominantly study the chemical signal called cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) in V. cholerae. C-di-GMP is an intracellular signal that is a cyclic dimer of two GMP molecules. C-di-GMP is made by enzymes containing diguanylate cyclase activity (DGC) and degraded by enzymes containing phosphodiesterase activity (PDE). ” Bacteria utilize chemical signals to
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Our research interests and expertise center around synthetic and mechanistic inorganic chemistry applied to organic synthesis and bioinorganic systems. We develop new synthetically useful C-H functionalization reactions based on synthetic and mechanistic studies of reactive copper intermediates. For instance, our group has isolated the first copper carbene and nitrene complexes that participate in C-C and
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“We continue to develop experimental techniques which employ anisotropic solvents (specifically gels, liquid crystals, solids, and polymers) as reaction media and which allow previously inaccessible details of thermal and photochemical reaction mechanisms to be elucidated. The techniques are being applied to unimolecular, bimolecular, and polymer reactions, as well as to explore the microscopic ordering of
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