Areas of Study & Research
Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry
Research in my group is focused on the roles of transition metal ions in biology. Of particular interest are proteins and enzymes involved in biological CO, NO, and O2 sensing (Figures 1 & 2), activation of O2, heme transport in bacterial pathogens (Figures 3 & 4), and metal-dependent proteolysis (Figures 5 & 6). We bring a variety of chemical, spectroscopic, and computational methods to bear on questions of the interplay between structure, dynamics, and function of metalloproteins. Chemical methods include synthesis and characterization of model complexes, studies of reaction rates and mechanism, and protein expression and purification. Among the physical methods are resonance Raman, steady-state and transient UV-visible absorbance, circular dichroism, NMR, EPR, and crystallography. We use computational methods based on density functional theory and molecular mechanics force fields to gain insight into structure, bonding and reactivity of metal-containing protein active sites.
Courses Taught
CHEM 150: Principles of Chemistry I
CHEM 725: Advanced Survey of Inorganic Chemistry
Links
Education
- PhD: University of Iowa
- Postdoc: Princeton University