Chemistry Department Seminar

Fun with Unusual Functional Groups

Compared to ubiquitous functional groups such as alcohols, carboxylic acids, amines and amides, which serve as central “actors” in most organic reactions, sulfamates, phosphoramidates and di-tert-butyl silanols have historically been viewed as “extras."

Largely considered functional group curiosities rather than launchpoints of vital reactivity, the chemistry of these moieties is underdeveloped. Our research program has uncovered facets of reactivity of each of these functional groups, and we are optimistic that the chemistry of these fascinating molecules can be developed into general transformations useful for chemists across multiple disciplines. In the ensuing sections, I will describe our efforts to develop new reactions with these “unusual” functional groups, namely sulfamates, phosphoramidates, and di-tert-butyl silanols.

Date:
Location:
CP 114

Lighting Up Submicron Aerosols and Droplets: How Different Are They, Really, and How Can We Tell?

Abstract: The physicochemical properties of aerosols and droplets, including phase state, pH and viscosity, impact processes from respiratory virus transmission to critical atmospheric processes to recent reports of incredible accelerations in chemical reactivity in microdroplets. Yet, these properties are challenging to measure directly in situ due to the small sizes and sensitive nature of the particles. Here, the use of fluorescence probe spectroscopy as a versatile tool for measuring these critical properties in situ in submicron aerosols is presented, along with a discussion of how the measured properties differ or not from those of larger particles or bulk phases, with implications for each of the aforementioned application areas.

Date:
Location:
CP-114

Probing Charge Carriers in Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conducting Polymers

Abstract: Conjugated polymers continue to emerge as next-generation electronic materials for mixed ionic-electronic conduction applications ranging from biomedical sensing to energy storage. Their development, however, is hampered by a lack of rational design principles due to missing fundamental knowledge about how ion-charge interactions and dynamic polymer nanostructure influence charge transport and storage along polymer chains.

In this talk, I will first discuss how we are exploiting the ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited charge carriers to provide details on their nanoscale environment and trapping behavior. Then I will show how in situ electronic and vibrational spectroscopy of polymer electrodes can be used to track their complex nanoscale dynamics during charging, revealing insights into nanostructures that support the formation of mobile carriers.

Date:
Location:
CP-114

Developing tools for studying how soluble methane monooxygenase catalyzes strong C-H and N-H bond functionalization reactions

Abstract: Soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) catalyzes the cleavage of the strong C-H bond of methane during the O2-dependent conversion to methanol. sMMO generates nature’s most powerful oxidizing agent, a Fe2-(mu-oxo)2 species termed Q, for this reaction. The sMMO catalytic cycle is strictly regulated to ensure that methane is afforded preferential access to Q, as Q is capable of oxidizing any molecule with a C-H or C=C bond that gains access to the active site. 

This methane selection process is ascribed to a small-molecule tunnel to the active site that discriminates based upon the molecular size of the substrate. The experimental validation of this regulatory model is held back by the inability to mutate the hydroxylase protein (MMOH), which harbors the active site, in a site-specific manner. We have overcome this obstacle by recombinantly expressing MMOH in E.coli through co-expression with two other proteins, MMOG and MMOD, from the sMMO operon. 

This effect results in a large yield of a fully functional MMOH protein for sMMO structure-function studies. The tools used to enable this breakthrough are broadly applicable and benefit the soluble production of other enzymes. A vignette will also be provided of our investigation into strong N-H cleavage chemistry based upon the promiscuous conversion of ammonia to hydroxylamine by sMMO. 

 

Bio: My love for enzymology was fostered during my doctoral studies in John D. Lipscomb’s laboratory at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. This research was focused on investigating the chemical mechanism of the soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) enzyme, which catalyzes the oxygen dependent oxidation of methane to methanol as part of methanotroph C1 metabolism. I came to appreciate how enzymes are masterful in catalyzing challenging chemical conversions.

I also learned an important lesson here that biochemical studies are only as good as the enzyme that is purified (homogeneous, highly-active preparations). This was a hard lesson to learn as I found myself in the fifth year of a Ph.D. with no positive results to report. I hope that my journey in science shows graduate students who are struggling with challenging research projects that their research is just a few good ideas and experiments away from giving up its secrets. 

Close to the end of my doctoral research, I had gotten involved in a continuous-flow resonance Raman study of the photolabile, methane reactive intermediate in sMMO. Since this was a brute-force experiment that consumed thirty grams of purified protein, I decided to continue my sMMO research as a post-doctoral scholar in the same laboratory to ensure its success. 

During this post-doctoral research, I broadened my research training through a focus upon elucidating the mechanisms of catalytic regulation enforced by the protein structure and protein-protein interactions. These regulatory schemes ensure that methane is chosen as the native substrate (sMMO will oxidize any organic compound that enters its active site) and that high-valent iron intermediates are not aberrantly quenched by mis-timed electron transfer from an accessory reductase protein. 

This period of my research training taught me that in as much as the high-valent metal-oxygen intermediates capture the limelight, it is these mechanisms of regulation that truly showcase the catalytic prowess of enzymes. These two facets of catalysis, namely chemical reactivity and its regulation, are the focus of research in my laboratory. The two model systems under study include the sMMO enzyme and the integral membrane stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) enzyme, which catalyzes the desaturation of fatty acids in eukaryotes. 

Both these enzymes utilize dinuclear iron cofactors to activate oxygen and generate powerful oxidants in order to functionalize strong C-H bonds, while preventing oxidative damage from reactive oxygen species resulting from uncoupled enzyme turnovers. The goal of this research is to inform synthetic catalyst design for strong C-H bond functionalization chemistry and to elucidate the general tenets of enzyme action.

Date:
Location:
CP 114

Exit Seminar: Inter and Intra Molecular Interactions to Control the Optoelectronic Properties of Materials

Woman with long brown hair wearing glasses and a maroon shirt, smiling in front of a neutral gray background.

Functional materials used for optoelectronic applications are often employed in the solid-state regime. The properties of such solid-state materials are entirely dependent on the inter and intra molecular interactions that the molecules experience. Intermolecular interactions are interactions between two adjacent molecules and can be broken down into two subgroups: repulsive and attractive. Intramolecular interactions are interactions that occur within a molecule and include things like bonding, resonance, and electron distribution. These properties can be tuned through a number of techniques to afford desirable outcomes for various material applications. This dissertation will investigate how the tuning of the inter and intra molecular forces influence a material’s electronic and optical properties.

Circular graphic divided into three sections showing concepts in molecular design. Top left: hydrogen bonding semiconductors with molecular structures and charge transfer diagrams. Top right: ionic interactions and conjugation for light emission, featuring molecular ions, a photoluminescence spectrum, and chemical structures. Bottom: ligand conjugation to tune red emission, with molecules spanning a color gradient from blue to red and schematic human figures pushing or holding them.

The dissertation will cover three projects that leverage control over hydrogen bonding, ionic interactions, and electron density to influence the optoelectronic properties of various systems. The first project attempted to increase intermolecular electronic couplings by using hydrogen bonded coproducts between an organic small molecule semiconductor and benzoic acids. Hydrogen bonding is a monodirectional interaction. The second project, in contrast, focuses on ionic interactions, which are multidirectional. These ionic interactions were investigated through the addition of a conjugated organic core to the inorganic anion in an organic inorganic hybrid material (OIHM) to improve material photoluminescence quantum yield (QY) efficiency. Additionally, alkyl substituents and anion size were changed to probe the effect of spacing on QY. In the third project of this dissertation, the focus moves from intermolecular interactions to intramolecular interactions. This project focuses on using electron donating and accepting groups to tune the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels of a metal complex to achieve more efficient deep red and near infrared (NIR) emission.

KEYWORDS: Intermolecular Interactions, Intramolecular Interactions, Optoelectronics, Organic Semiconductors, Light Emitting Materials

 

Date:
Location:
CP 114

Exit Seminar: Inter and Intra Molecular Interactions to Control the Optoelectronic Properties of Materials

Woman with long brown hair wearing glasses and a maroon shirt, smiling in front of a neutral gray background.

Functional materials used for optoelectronic applications are often employed in the solid-state regime. The properties of such solid-state materials are entirely dependent on the inter and intra molecular interactions that the molecules experience. Intermolecular interactions are interactions between two adjacent molecules and can be broken down into two subgroups: repulsive and attractive. Intramolecular interactions are interactions that occur within a molecule and include things like bonding, resonance, and electron distribution. These properties can be tuned through a number of techniques to afford desirable outcomes for various material applications. This dissertation will investigate how the tuning of the inter and intra molecular forces influence a material’s electronic and optical properties.

Circular graphic divided into three sections showing concepts in molecular design. Top left: hydrogen bonding semiconductors with molecular structures and charge transfer diagrams. Top right: ionic interactions and conjugation for light emission, featuring molecular ions, a photoluminescence spectrum, and chemical structures. Bottom: ligand conjugation to tune red emission, with molecules spanning a color gradient from blue to red and schematic human figures pushing or holding them.

The dissertation will cover three projects that leverage control over hydrogen bonding, ionic interactions, and electron density to influence the optoelectronic properties of various systems. The first project attempted to increase intermolecular electronic couplings by using hydrogen bonded coproducts between an organic small molecule semiconductor and benzoic acids. Hydrogen bonding is a monodirectional interaction. The second project, in contrast, focuses on ionic interactions, which are multidirectional. These ionic interactions were investigated through the addition of a conjugated organic core to the inorganic anion in an organic inorganic hybrid material (OIHM) to improve material photoluminescence quantum yield (QY) efficiency. Additionally, alkyl substituents and anion size were changed to probe the effect of spacing on QY. In the third project of this dissertation, the focus moves from intermolecular interactions to intramolecular interactions. This project focuses on using electron donating and accepting groups to tune the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels of a metal complex to achieve more efficient deep red and near infrared (NIR) emission.

KEYWORDS: Intermolecular Interactions, Intramolecular Interactions, Optoelectronics, Organic Semiconductors, Light Emitting Materials

 

Date:
Location:
CP 114

51st Annual Naff Symposium

A blue and green gradient with DNA strand in the background, with the names and times of each speaker for the 51st Naff Symposium.

 

For this year's brochure, click here.

Schedule

8 a.m. Registration and Continental breakfast
8:45 a.m.

Introductions and welcome

Dr. Ilhem Messaoudi, acting vice president for research

Dr. Prakash Shrestha, Department of Chemistry
9 a.m.

Dr. Taekjip Ha Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

From single molecules to cellular decision making: connecting the scales using mechanical force

Abstract: In this lecture, I will describe our effort to understand how the mechanical responses of single molecules contribute to cell fate decision, focusing on our work on integrins, which are mechanosensitive membrane proteins that cells use to interrogate the extracellular environments.
10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m.

Dr. Laura Finzi Clemson University.

Using single-molecule approaches to dissect fundamental cellular processes

Abstract: Single molecule techniques are extremely powerful in the investigation of the molecular mechanisms driving emergent behavior in living systems.

My lab has pioneered their use and development and combines these approaches to understand, primarily, but not only, transcription regulation. In particular, we study how the physical properties of DNA and chromatin, such as their mechanics and topology, the nucleoprotein complexes that shape the architecture of the genome, the remodeling of DNA by the motor enzymes that process it and phase separation contribute to transmitting information necessary for life.
11:30am - 1:30pm

Lunch and poster competition

Group A - 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Group B - 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
1:45 p.m.

Dr. Shixin Liu The Rockefeller University

Single-molecule visualization of genetic and epigenetic inheritance

Abstract: Genome replication and gene expression are carried out by molecular machines that measure in nanometers and generate forces in piconewtons. My laboratory mainly employs single-molecule fluorescence detection and force manipulation techniques to study these biochemical and mechanical processes that govern genetic and epigenetic inheritance. This approach enables us to follow transient, stochastic and heterogeneous molecular events that are inaccessible by ensemble-averaging methods. By reconstituting DNA/chromatin-based macromolecular complexes and tracking their dynamic behavior in real time, we have gained fresh insights into their physicochemical properties and regulatory mechanisms.
2:45 p.m. - 3 p.m. Break
3 p.m.

Dr. Jens H. Gundlach University of Washington

Ultra-precise tracking of genomic enzymes with nanopore tweezers

Abstract: My group has been at the nexus of developing nanopore sequencing of DNA and establishing nanopores as a new tool for single-molecule biophysics. Much of our work is based on the engineered protein pore MspA. Here, I will show the stunning capabilities of using protein nanopores to observe enzyme mechanics in real-time as these enzymes move along DNA or RNA. We easily achieve ten times better position and time resolution than optical tweezers while simultaneously measuring the exact nucleotide sequence within the enzyme. I will show hereto unseen detail of the motion of helicases, DNA and RNA polymerases, reverse transcriptases, etc. Besides establishing decisive kinetic enzyme models, our method reveals many surprisingly properties of these enzymes. 
4 p.m. Presentation of poster awards
4:30 p.m. Close of the 51st Naff Symposium

Poster Competition - HKRB Atrium

Group A: Even numbered posters will present from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Group B: Odd numbered posters will present from 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

  • Thumbtacks are provided.
  • Poster dimensions should not exceed 36” tall x 44” wide.
  • Register here!

 

Speakers

Photo of man with black hair and glasses wearing a black North Face jacket outside. Dr. Taekjip Ha 
Howard Hughes Medical Institute & Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital 
Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School

Biography: Dr. Taekjip Ha is George D. Yancopoulos Professor of Pediatrics in honor of Frederick W. Alt at Harvard Medical School and director and senior investigator of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has been an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2005. He received a bachelor’s in physics from Seoul National University in 1990 and a physics Ph.D. from University of California at Berkeley in 1996. After postdoctoral training at Stanford, he was a physics professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2000-2015), where he co-directed an NSF Physics Frontier Center and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University (2015-2023). He is a member of the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the Ho-Am Prize in Science (2011),the  Kazuhito Kinosita Award in single molecule biophysics (2018) and the Barany Award for young investigators (2007). He was named Searle Scholar (2001) and Sloan Fellow (2003). He has served on editorial boards for Science (2011-present), Cell (2009-2020) and eLife (2014-2020). He co-chaired the National Academies committee on Toward Sequencing and Mapping of RNA Modifications (2022-2024). He served as president of the Biophysical Society (2023-2024).

Ha’s current research theme is “genome maintenance at higher resolution.” “Higher resolution” refers to advances his team pioneered in multiple axes, including time resolution, spatial resolution, single molecule and single cell resolution and single base pair resolution. His biological focus is genome maintenance, i.e. how the genome is accurately duplicated and repaired for preserving genomic integrity. He advanced CRISPR-based tools in terms of time and space resolution as well as multiplexing and obtained novel insights about repair of CRISPR-generated DNA damage. Because genome maintenance occurs in the context of chromatin and 3D genome, and in the presence of ongoing nuclear processes such as transcription and epigenetic regulation, his team has also been studying how DNA sequences and modifications as well as histone modifications can act directly through changes in biophysical properties of DNA and chromatin such as DNA flexibility and nucleosome stability and condensability. Finally, he used biophysical properties of DNA to develop single molecule force sensors and determined the single molecule force loading rate in cells.

Photo of woman with light blonde hair and glasses wearing a light blue tank top in front of a grey background.Dr. Laura Finzi 
Dr. Waenard L. Miller Jr. ’69 and Sheila M. Miller Endowed Chair in Medical Biophysics 
Department of Physics & Astronomy 
Department of Bioengineering 
Center of Human Genetics 
Clemson University

Biography: Laura Finzi is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Dr. Waenard L. Miller Jr. ’69 and Sheila M. Miller Endowed Chair in Medical Biophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Clemson University. She is a member of the editorial board of Biophysical Reviews. She received a Laurea in industrial chemistry from the University of Bologna, Italy, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of New Mexico working with Carlos Bustamante. 

She continued her collaboration with Bustamante as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Molecular Biology in Eugene, Oregon, before joining the group of Dr. Jeff Gelles at Brandeis University. She held academic positions at the University of Milano, Italy, and Emory University. Her career path is featured in The Living Histories Series. She is recognized internationally for her contributions to the understanding of DNA mechanics, topology and physical interactions relevant to transcription regulation.

Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/40647244/?sort=dat…

Photo of man with black hair and glasses wearing a blue long sleeved shirt and khaki pants sitting outside on a bench surrounded by greenery.Dr. Shixin Liu 
Associate Professor 
Head, Laboratory of Nanoscale Biophysics and Biochemistry, The Rockefeller University

Biography: Shixin Liu obtained his B.Sc. in biology from the University of Science and Technology of China and his Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University. After postdoctoral work at the University of California at Berkeley, he became a faculty member at the Rockefeller University, where he is now associate professor and heads the Laboratory of Nanoscale Biophysics and Biochemistry. His group studies the dynamic behaviors and interactions of biomolecules, chiefly using single-molecule techniques with a focus on DNA- and chromatin-based molecular machines. He was a recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science.

Headshot of a man with short hair wearing a striped collared shirt in front of a beige background.Dr. Jens H. Gundlach

Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Biography: Jens Gundlach is a professor of physics at the University of Washington. He earned his diploma from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, and his Ph.D. (1990) in nuclear physics from the University of Washington. After his Ph.D., he stayed at UW but changed his research field to experimental gravity and precision measurement. In 2002, he began research in biophysics, resulting in the development of nanopore sequencing of DNA and the development of a novel ultra-precise single-molecule tool. Gundlach continues to lead two separate major research efforts at opposite end of physics: gravity and biophysics. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, received a NIST Precision Measurement Grant, the APS Pipkin Prize and in 2021 the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky organizes an annual Symposium on Chemistry and Molecular Biology. This symposium was established in honor of Anna S. Naff, a University of Kentucky graduate, through the generous support of Dr. Benton Naff of NIH. The symposium has an interdisciplinary character and is attended by students and faculty from the Departments of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmacy, Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine. The symposium features renowned experts from around the world, including Nobel prize-winning scientists, and is attended by faculty and students from colleges and universities in Kentucky and the contiguous states.

2026 Naff Planning Committee

Dr. Prakash Shrestha, Chair, Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Christopher Richards, Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Ryan Cheng, Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Jason DeRouchey, Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Daniel Lee, Department of Neuroscience, Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

 

Date:
Location:
Healthy Kentucky Research Building

51st Annual Naff Symposium

A blue and green gradient with DNA strand in the background, with the names and times of each speaker for the 51st Naff Symposium.

 

For this year's brochure, click here.

Schedule

8 a.m. Registration and Continental breakfast
8:45 a.m.

Introductions and welcome

Dr. Ilhem Messaoudi, acting vice president for research

Dr. Prakash Shrestha, Department of Chemistry
9 a.m.

Dr. Taekjip Ha Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

From single molecules to cellular decision making: connecting the scales using mechanical force

Abstract: In this lecture, I will describe our effort to understand how the mechanical responses of single molecules contribute to cell fate decision, focusing on our work on integrins, which are mechanosensitive membrane proteins that cells use to interrogate the extracellular environments.
10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m.

Dr. Laura Finzi Clemson University.

Using single-molecule approaches to dissect fundamental cellular processes

Abstract: Single molecule techniques are extremely powerful in the investigation of the molecular mechanisms driving emergent behavior in living systems.

My lab has pioneered their use and development and combines these approaches to understand, primarily, but not only, transcription regulation. In particular, we study how the physical properties of DNA and chromatin, such as their mechanics and topology, the nucleoprotein complexes that shape the architecture of the genome, the remodeling of DNA by the motor enzymes that process it and phase separation contribute to transmitting information necessary for life.
11:30am - 1:30pm

Lunch and poster competition

Group A - 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Group B - 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
1:45 p.m.

Dr. Shixin Liu The Rockefeller University

Single-molecule visualization of genetic and epigenetic inheritance

Abstract: Genome replication and gene expression are carried out by molecular machines that measure in nanometers and generate forces in piconewtons. My laboratory mainly employs single-molecule fluorescence detection and force manipulation techniques to study these biochemical and mechanical processes that govern genetic and epigenetic inheritance. This approach enables us to follow transient, stochastic and heterogeneous molecular events that are inaccessible by ensemble-averaging methods. By reconstituting DNA/chromatin-based macromolecular complexes and tracking their dynamic behavior in real time, we have gained fresh insights into their physicochemical properties and regulatory mechanisms.
2:45 p.m. - 3 p.m. Break
3 p.m.

Dr. Jens H. Gundlach University of Washington

Ultra-precise tracking of genomic enzymes with nanopore tweezers

Abstract: My group has been at the nexus of developing nanopore sequencing of DNA and establishing nanopores as a new tool for single-molecule biophysics. Much of our work is based on the engineered protein pore MspA. Here, I will show the stunning capabilities of using protein nanopores to observe enzyme mechanics in real-time as these enzymes move along DNA or RNA. We easily achieve ten times better position and time resolution than optical tweezers while simultaneously measuring the exact nucleotide sequence within the enzyme. I will show hereto unseen detail of the motion of helicases, DNA and RNA polymerases, reverse transcriptases, etc. Besides establishing decisive kinetic enzyme models, our method reveals many surprisingly properties of these enzymes. 
4 p.m. Presentation of poster awards
4:30 p.m. Close of the 51st Naff Symposium

Poster Competition - HKRB Atrium

Group A: Even numbered posters will present from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Group B: Odd numbered posters will present from 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

  • Thumbtacks are provided.
  • Poster dimensions should not exceed 36” tall x 44” wide.
  • Register here!

 

Speakers

Photo of man with black hair and glasses wearing a black North Face jacket outside. Dr. Taekjip Ha 
Howard Hughes Medical Institute & Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital 
Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School

Biography: Dr. Taekjip Ha is George D. Yancopoulos Professor of Pediatrics in honor of Frederick W. Alt at Harvard Medical School and director and senior investigator of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has been an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2005. He received a bachelor’s in physics from Seoul National University in 1990 and a physics Ph.D. from University of California at Berkeley in 1996. After postdoctoral training at Stanford, he was a physics professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2000-2015), where he co-directed an NSF Physics Frontier Center and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University (2015-2023). He is a member of the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the Ho-Am Prize in Science (2011),the  Kazuhito Kinosita Award in single molecule biophysics (2018) and the Barany Award for young investigators (2007). He was named Searle Scholar (2001) and Sloan Fellow (2003). He has served on editorial boards for Science (2011-present), Cell (2009-2020) and eLife (2014-2020). He co-chaired the National Academies committee on Toward Sequencing and Mapping of RNA Modifications (2022-2024). He served as president of the Biophysical Society (2023-2024).

Ha’s current research theme is “genome maintenance at higher resolution.” “Higher resolution” refers to advances his team pioneered in multiple axes, including time resolution, spatial resolution, single molecule and single cell resolution and single base pair resolution. His biological focus is genome maintenance, i.e. how the genome is accurately duplicated and repaired for preserving genomic integrity. He advanced CRISPR-based tools in terms of time and space resolution as well as multiplexing and obtained novel insights about repair of CRISPR-generated DNA damage. Because genome maintenance occurs in the context of chromatin and 3D genome, and in the presence of ongoing nuclear processes such as transcription and epigenetic regulation, his team has also been studying how DNA sequences and modifications as well as histone modifications can act directly through changes in biophysical properties of DNA and chromatin such as DNA flexibility and nucleosome stability and condensability. Finally, he used biophysical properties of DNA to develop single molecule force sensors and determined the single molecule force loading rate in cells.

Photo of woman with light blonde hair and glasses wearing a light blue tank top in front of a grey background.Dr. Laura Finzi 
Dr. Waenard L. Miller Jr. ’69 and Sheila M. Miller Endowed Chair in Medical Biophysics 
Department of Physics & Astronomy 
Department of Bioengineering 
Center of Human Genetics 
Clemson University

Biography: Laura Finzi is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Dr. Waenard L. Miller Jr. ’69 and Sheila M. Miller Endowed Chair in Medical Biophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Clemson University. She is a member of the editorial board of Biophysical Reviews. She received a Laurea in industrial chemistry from the University of Bologna, Italy, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of New Mexico working with Carlos Bustamante. 

She continued her collaboration with Bustamante as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Molecular Biology in Eugene, Oregon, before joining the group of Dr. Jeff Gelles at Brandeis University. She held academic positions at the University of Milano, Italy, and Emory University. Her career path is featured in The Living Histories Series. She is recognized internationally for her contributions to the understanding of DNA mechanics, topology and physical interactions relevant to transcription regulation.

Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/40647244/?sort=dat…

Photo of man with black hair and glasses wearing a blue long sleeved shirt and khaki pants sitting outside on a bench surrounded by greenery.Dr. Shixin Liu 
Associate Professor 
Head, Laboratory of Nanoscale Biophysics and Biochemistry, The Rockefeller University

Biography: Shixin Liu obtained his B.Sc. in biology from the University of Science and Technology of China and his Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University. After postdoctoral work at the University of California at Berkeley, he became a faculty member at the Rockefeller University, where he is now associate professor and heads the Laboratory of Nanoscale Biophysics and Biochemistry. His group studies the dynamic behaviors and interactions of biomolecules, chiefly using single-molecule techniques with a focus on DNA- and chromatin-based molecular machines. He was a recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science.

Headshot of a man with short hair wearing a striped collared shirt in front of a beige background.Dr. Jens H. Gundlach

Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Biography: Jens Gundlach is a professor of physics at the University of Washington. He earned his diploma from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, and his Ph.D. (1990) in nuclear physics from the University of Washington. After his Ph.D., he stayed at UW but changed his research field to experimental gravity and precision measurement. In 2002, he began research in biophysics, resulting in the development of nanopore sequencing of DNA and the development of a novel ultra-precise single-molecule tool. Gundlach continues to lead two separate major research efforts at opposite end of physics: gravity and biophysics. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, received a NIST Precision Measurement Grant, the APS Pipkin Prize and in 2021 the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky organizes an annual Symposium on Chemistry and Molecular Biology. This symposium was established in honor of Anna S. Naff, a University of Kentucky graduate, through the generous support of Dr. Benton Naff of NIH. The symposium has an interdisciplinary character and is attended by students and faculty from the Departments of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmacy, Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine. The symposium features renowned experts from around the world, including Nobel prize-winning scientists, and is attended by faculty and students from colleges and universities in Kentucky and the contiguous states.

2026 Naff Planning Committee

Dr. Prakash Shrestha, Chair, Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Christopher Richards, Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Ryan Cheng, Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Jason DeRouchey, Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Daniel Lee, Department of Neuroscience, Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

 

Date:
Location:
Healthy Kentucky Research Building

A Journey from Student to Director: Leading the Freshman Research Initiative at UT Austin

Photo of Dr. Lauren DePeu in a gray blazer and teal top, smiling indoors.Lauren DePue, Ph.D., is the director of the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) at The University of Texas at Austin, the nation’s largest undergraduate research program. In this role, DePue leads efforts to immerse first-year students in authentic scientific discovery, where they engage in real-world research, use advanced instrumentation, develop technological innovations and publish in peer-reviewed journals.  

DePue earned dual bachelor's degrees in biology and chemistry from the University of Kentucky in 2004, followed by a master’s in Chemistry from Yale University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from UT Austin. From 2013 to 2023, she led an FRI chemistry research group before stepping into the director role. Her research was recognized with the 2021 Arthur E. Martell Early Career Research Author Prize for her manuscript "Visible luminescent Ln42 nanotorus coordination clusters." In 2016, she received UT Austin’s Natural Sciences Foundation Professor Award, a student-nominated teaching honor that contributed to her promotion to associate professor of practice.

Date:
Location:
CP 114

Chemistry Alumni Career Q&A

Color portrait of Elizabeth Ferguson with the American Flag in the background.Dr. Elizabeth Ferguson serves as an Army Senior Science Technical Manager and is the Lead Technical Director (TD) for the Army Installations and Operational Environment (IOE) Business Area at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in the Environmental Laboratory, Vicksburg, Mississippi.  As Lead IOE TD, Elizabeth is responsible for programmatic direction of the research areas of military Infrastructure (the built environment) and well as the natural environment in both installations and operational environments.   

Elizabeth joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1999 as an ecological and human health risk assessor for the Environmental Engineering Branch of the Louisville District, Louisville, Kentucky.  While working in Louisville, she led several large-scale, field-based ecological risk assessments for CERCLA-based cleanup activities.  In this role, Elizabeth participated in many regulatory and stakeholder workgroups addressing ecological risk assessment methods and analysis. She has been a part of many risk management technical support teams. 

Elizabeth joined the Environmental Laboratory of ERDC in 2004, as the chief of the Environmental Processes Division, Risk Assessment Branch where she led laboratory-based research and development activities in risk assessment.  In 2005 she joined the Office of Technical Directors as the Associate Technical Director with the role of the management, funding and technical direction of military-relevant environmental research at ERDC.  Starting in 2010, she assumed leadership of the Military Materials in the Environment area of the Environmental Quality and Installations RDA as Technical Director until 2016 when she was promoted to SSTM and Lead Technical Director of IOE. Elizabeth obtained her bachelor's degrees in chemistry and psychology (1991), master's degree in radio-analytical chemistry (1994), and Ph.D. (1998) in fish physiology and aquatic toxicology from the University of Kentucky.  She has authored several peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has presented at numerous conferences and symposia.

Date:
Location:
CP 114