Category: Faculty News

Physical Chemistry Seminar – Julia Widom, October 14th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

flyer with eevent information and a picture of smiling personDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Physical Chemistry Seminar Series

Professor Julia Widom, University of Oregon
October 14th, 2024 —2:00pm
Tykeson 140

Title: Spectroscopic Studies of Nucleic Acid structure, Dynamics and Photophysics

RNA performs a diverse set of biological functions, many of which require it to fold into specific structures. Many techniques have been developed to study RNA folding, a number of which are based on fluorescence detection.
I will present work in which we used fluorescent analogues of the natural RNA bases to selectively probe the structures of different conformational subpopulations of RNA.

We investigated the photophysical properties of base analogues in different structural contexts using a combination of time-resolved fluorescence measurements and fluorescence-detected circular dichroism spectroscopy, which circumvents the ensemble averaging that typically limits the power of bulk spectroscopic methods such as CD.

Ensemble averaging can also be avoided by performing measurements on single molecules. I will present work in which we utilized single-molecule microscopy to investigate the ensemble of structures adopted by RNA
“switches”. These studies reveal how the 3D structure of RNA is impacted by intrinsic factors such as base sequence and extrinsic factors such as the
binding of small molecules.

One Year On – Checking in with Professors Agne & Rapp!

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

As Teresa Rapp and Matthias Agne enter their second year as members of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department’s research faculty, we thought we’d ask them for some thoughts and highlights from their first year at the University of Oregon. Here’s what they had to share ~

a group group of people sitting around a fire pitTeresa Rappa smiling person wearing a blue shirt

What a whirlwind of a year it’s been! When I started at the U of O in September 2023, I was excited to jump into research and start mentoring and working with all the fabulous UO students! Little did I know I’d soon be managing over 12 trainees in my burgeoning research lab. Over the last 12 months we’ve converted 2/3rds of our lab space to a dark room with red light to build our light sensitive molecules, we’ve taken on two PhD students, a Master’s Intern, a Research Scientist, and 13 undergrads who have all made great progress towards their respective projects. I’m very proud of the group community we’ve built in our first year as a lab, and I look forward to all the years to come!

a group of people posing for a picture in a laboratoryMatthias Agnea person with glasses wearing a suit

As we charge into our second year, I am so proud looking back at the team that has gotten us this far – and I cannot express enough thankfulness for the tremendous PhD rotation students, MS students and undergrads who gave so much of their time and energy to help build the lab and develop our capabilities. Our core team of 4 PhD students are currently tackling hard fundamental problems in energy materials research, from assessing vibrational dynamics in solids for better control of thermal and ionic transport to understanding thermodynamic driving forces for degradation in solid-state batteries, and more! They have taken huge initiative to develop these projects from concept to first results, and we anticipate a very productive year ahead. I would like to recognize the amazing support that I have received from my faculty colleagues and our administrative staff, which has made starting at the University of Oregon such a great experience. I look forward to continuing to grow our team at all academic levels and building collaborations here at UO and around the world!

UO Chemistry and Biochemistry Welcomes Three New Faculty Members

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

UO Chemistry and Biochemistry is pleased to welcome three new faculty members to the department in 2024!

a smiling person

Dr. Dhiman Ray

Assistant Professor

Dr. Ray completed his PhD at the University of California Irvine working with Prof. Ioan Andricioaei. Subsequently, he held a postdoctoral position in the group of Prof. Michele Parrinello at the Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy. At the University of Oregon, he will continue his work on molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of biological systems like proteins and RNA. The Ray group will develop enhanced sampling and machine-learning algorithms to make MD simulations more accurate and efficient. These computational methods will facilitate the study of the thermodynamics, kinetics, and mechanistic details of complex biomolecular processes. Apart from gaining fundamental knowledge about biological systems, this research will have potential applications in computer-aided drug discovery. 

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a smiling personDr. Romila Mascarenhas 

Assistant Professor

Dr. Mascarenhas began her training as a structural biologist under Dr. Dali Liu at Loyola University Chicago, and later pursued postdoctoral training with Dr. Ruma Banerjee at the University of Michigan. Her postdoctoral research focused on the structural enzymology of the human vitamin B12 trafficking pathway, specifically unraveling the mechanisms by which B12 is loaded onto its target enzymes. In her lab, Dr. Mascarenhas continues to investigate the molecular mechanisms of vitamin B12 selectivity and trafficking, with a particular emphasis on microbial communities such as those in the human gut.

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a smiling personDr. Paul Kempler

Assistant Professor

Dr. Paul Kempler received his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology where he worked with Prof. Nate Lewis and the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis. He moved to the University of Oregon in 2020 to help start the Electrochemistry Masters Internship Program as a Research Assistant Professor and has placed >75 students into careers in the electrochemistry industry. His research efforts have focused on the measurement of ion transfer kinetics in electrochemical reactions and developing a patent-pending process for reducing iron ore to metal using electricity. Broadly, the Kempler group will study electrochemical processes for producing chemicals and materials without the production of greenhouse gas emissions.

Darren Johnson Wins SEED Award

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

smiling person wearing black and green shirtUO Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty Darren Johnson is among 11 accomplished researchers selected to receive Research Corporation for Science Advancement’s Cottrell Plus SEED Award for 2024.

The competitive SEED (Singular Exceptional Endeavors of Discovery) Award is designed to support members of the Cottrell Scholar community in high-impact research activities. Each award is $60,000.

Johnson’s award is in the New Research Directions category.

Read the full announcement

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Rapp Lab Receives First External Funding

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

smiling person wearing a blue shirtIn July, the Teresa Rapp Lab received $100K grant from the Donald E. And Deliah B. Baxter Foundation, a charitable institution established to advance medical and scientific research at institutions of higher learning.  In the Rapp Lab, the funding will provide support for a new project modelling late stage fibrosis with light responsive biomaterials.  

More information about the Baxters can be found on the Stanford Medicine website.  

Physical Chemistry Seminar – John Hardwick, June 3rd

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

flyer with event info and photo of a smiling man in a pink shirtDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Physical Chemistry Seminar Series

Professor John Hardwick, University of Oregon
Monday, June 3, 2024—2:00pm
Tykeson 140
Hosted by: Jeff Cina

Electron detachment in the infrared: the spectrum and structure of HNO– in the infrared

Over the past few decades, the importance of ions in both common and exotic chemical processes has become obvious. The chemistry of flames, atmospheres, and astronomical objects all involve ion-molecule and ion-ion reactions, some of which are critical in understanding the complex reaction kinetics in those systems. In many such environments, the best way of observing the abundance of molecular ions is high resolution spectroscopy.

The spectra of positive ions are often observed in emission or absorption in laboratory discharges, since positive ions can survive in high temperature environments. Negative ions, on the other hand, often will detach an electron under moderate thermal conditions, since molecular electron affinities are rarely above 1 or 2 electron volts. Rotationally resolved spectra of molecular anions are, as a result, relatively rare.

The HNO– ion is known to have an electron detachment energy of 0.338 eV (about 2776 cm–1). We have recorded the rotationally resolved vibrational spectra of H14NO– and H15NO– near 3000 cm–1. The rotational analysis indicates that the origin of the vibrational band is only about 20 cm–1 above this limit. The analysis requires a determination of the geometry that can be compared with previous experimental and computational studies.

Paul Kempler discusses OCE Master’s Program with Physics Magazine

Posted on by Leah O'Brien
smiling man in a blue shirt
UO Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty Paul Kempler
two students working with electrochemical equipment and a computer in a laboratory
Electrochemistry students in the laboratory

Physics Magazine talks with faculty Paul Kempler about the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry’s Master’s Internship Program that provides students with hands-on experience working with industry partners.