Nanoparticle structure, nanoparticle chemistry, novel nanoparticle synthesis strategies, applications of nanoparticles to biological imaging.

Structural chemistry of inorganic compounds, including Group IIA complexes, iron/copper bioinorganic model compounds, and metalloporphyrins; protein crystallography.

His research interests at Colorado State will focus on the thermodynamics of nanoscale self-assembly processes in block copolymer composite materials and their applications in a variety of environments, including polymer-based photovoltaics, bio-enzymatic fuel cells, chemical and biological sensing devices, targeted chemical delivery, and hydrogel-based shape memory materials.

Laser optical techniques for analysis of cell surface phenomena; microcalorimetry

Bioinorganic, Bioorganic, Physical Organic Chemistries, with focuses on characterization of menaquinone metabolism and ihibition of electron transport in tuberculosis bacteria, vanadium containing anti-diabetic and anti-malarial compounds, microemulsion drug-membrane interaction studies, copper (II) amyloid-beta and peptide complexation studies, and spectroscopic techniques including 1D and 2D NMR, EPR, fluorescence and IR.

Chemical catalysis, nanoparticle research, energy research and kinetics and mechanism

Plasma chemistry, reactivity of radicals with surfaces using LIF and molecular beam techniques. Plasma polymerization deposition and etching of materials. Characterization of plasma synthesized thin films.

Bioanalytical chemistry; environmental chemistry; chemical separations; microscale chemical instrumentation; capillary electrophoresis; biosensor development; paper-based analytical devices; microfluidics

Molecular recognition, self-assembly, development of novel biological recognition motifs, construction of synthetic receptors for small molecules of biological interest, design of catalytic peptides.

Structure & dynamics in condensed phase systems; two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy.

Computational and Theoretical Chemistry
We employ computational and theoretical chemistry tools to study phenomena in Biology. In particular we are interested in how Biology achieves control of energy transduction and self-assembly. Protein-DNA complexes provide a nice set of basis set for such studies.

Multidisciplinary chemical design and fabrication of biomimetic materials for use in medical device applications. Research work includes: synthesis of organic and inorganic compounds including small-molecule therapeutics, polymers, and extended frameworks; analytical studies utilizing fluorescence, chemiluminesence, zeta potential, and LC/MS-TOF; fabrication and engineering of materials; biomedical efficacy and toxicity studies.

Computational design, simulation, and experimental validation of new enzymes, and crystalline biomolecular assemblies. We convert porous protein crystals into “3D molecular pegboards” for the controlled assembly of nanoparticles, enzymes, fluorescent proteins, oligonucleotides, and other functional molecules.

Synthesis of natural products of biomedical significance and development of synthetic methodology for the construction of complex target molecules, design and synthesis of active site activated irreversible enzyme inhibitors, asymmetric synthesis of of alpha-amino acids, mechanism of action studies on anti-tumor drugs and antibiotics, oxidative cleavage and cross-linking of DNA, total synthesis and biogenesis of mycotoxic indole alkaloids from fungi, taxol biosynthesis, design and synthesis of antibiotics for drug-resistant microbial diseases, molecular biology and protein bioichemistry.