Past Events

Lipid Membrane Remodeling by Proteins and Peptides: Mechanistic insights from multi-scale analysis We will discuss the analysis of membrane remodeling by proteins and peptides using multi-scale computational methods; these include

The Good, The Bad, and The Weird of B-Sheet B-sheets play a pivotal role in protein secondary structure, forming the foundation for diverse supramolecular assemblies. In this presentation, I address

Elucidating functional roles of dynamics in sequential biosynthesis and protein oligomerization Proteins perform biological functions critical to all aspects of life. Influenced by perpetual thermal fluctuations, protein dynamics span a

Toward a cure for Parkinson’s disease: bench to bedside & bedside to bench Based on our studies of transcriptional regulatory cascade underlying development and maintenance of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons,

Photosynthesis in the Far-Red The light reactions of photosynthesis are driven by pigment-protein complexes that convert sunlight’s energy into chemical energy. These complexes therefore serve as the gateway for energy

From peptides to proteins: Uncovering the physical properties of biomolecular condensates Liquid-liquid phase separation of biomolecules into ‘biomolecular condensates’ is emerging as a ubiquitous cellular process with misregulation of condensates

Anomalous Low-Temperature Behavior of Glasses In this talk I review the phenomenological picture of tunneling defects in low-temperature glasses. Despite the successes of this model, it has been very difficult

Imaging Electrons to Explore Questions in Chemical Bonding and Chirality An experiment capable of unravelling complex chemical phenomena should be sensitive, controllable and versatile. Gas-phase anion photoelectron spectroscopy allows for

Structure and Function of Human La-Related Proteins La-related proteins (LARPs) are a superfamily of RNA-binding proteins whose membership is dictated by the presence of a highly conserved domain called the

Sterically and Electronically Controlled C–H Functionalization Arenes and heteroarenes are key substructures in pharmaceuticals yet certain substitution patterns are underrepresented due to lack of reliable synthetic methods. Selective C–H functionalization

Mechanisms of GPCR Signaling by Membrane Lipids A growing body of literature from biophysical studies has highlighted the special roles of membrane lipids as endogenous regulators of G protein-coupled receptor

Bridging Topological Band Theory and Molecular Chemistry: A Novel Approach to Understanding Reaction Dynamics The integration of topology, a branch of mathematics, into the analysis of electronic states in crystalline

Targeting Nucleic Acids to Combat Inflammation: A New Therapeutic Strategy Inflammation plays an important role in responding to danger signals arising from damage to our body and in restoring homeostasis.

Multiscale First Principles Reaction Discovery for Methane Pyrolysis Computational reaction discovery in complex chemical systems has been an important research topic. Traditionally, researchers have adopted a hypothesis-driven approach, which relies

Carboxylation chemistry and biology: Adaptation of plants to extreme CO2 sources in Yellowstone NP Carboxylation reactions are those which combine CO2 with something else to make a useful natural or

Understanding mechanisms of metalloenzyme mediated alkane oxidation The transformation of alkanes to terminal alcohols using molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant and a catalyst utilizing earth-abundant metal ions exemplifies the

“Symmetry breaking and self-organization of a body axis from mouse embryonic stem cells” During development, the embryo must break symmetry to form body axes and patterned tissue structures. Recent discoveries

To Wet or Not to Wet a Hydrophobic Pocket There are many open questions regarding the hydration of solvent-exposed non-polar tracts and pockets in proteins. Although water is predicted to

Building a Toolbox for Sustainable Synthesis and Catalysis Our multidisciplinary research group focuses on molecular inorganic synthesis, thin film materials via atomic layer deposition (ALD), and heterogeneous catalysis for fine

Clear as crystallin: Protein optics, cataract formation and the hidden redox chemistry of the eye lens The optical power of the vertebrate eye lens is generated by the crystallins, exceptionally