Chemistry & Biochemistry | Mathematics
Microbiology | Physics | Public Health | Statistics | TCORS
Chemistry & Biochemistry
For additional information on research in Chemistry & Biochemistry, see:
Analytical Chemistry
Nuwan Bandara
Nanoscale Sensing and Transport
Research in the Nanoscale Sensing and transport Laboratory focuses on probing the world molecule at a time to uncover hidden details that traditional analytical methods simply can’t see. Our work is a truly interdisciplinary adventure, blending chemistry, biophysics, electronics, and coding. The summer project will involve the development of single molecule-based protocol using nanopipettes to determine the authenticity of food products and supplements. In an era where food integrity is highly scrutinized, developing rapid methods to ensure the “goodness” of a product and protect consumer safety is paramount. During the course of the summer project, students will learn basics of sample preparation, electronics of single molecule sensing, fabrication of nanopipettes, instrumentation used for nanopipette-sensing and the use of complementary methods such as UV-Vis spectroscopy and electrochemistry.
Buddini Karawdeniya
Nanotechnology and Diagnostics
The Karawdeniya Laboratory integrates nanotechnology and chemical methodologies to advance the field of biomedical sensing, diagnostics, and drug delivery. The summer research initiative will investigate surface-modified nanostructure-based drug delivery systems capable of selectively targeting tumors for therapeutic release. Throughout the duration of the summer project, participants will acquire the skills to design, synthesize, optimize, and characterize nanoscale delivery platforms, with particular emphasis on conditions such as the low pH environment within tumors serving as a release trigger. Additionally, students will examine innovative and sensitive techniques for evaluating drug release profiles and mechanisms within simulated tumor microenvironments.
Premashis Manna
Molecular Biophysics and Protein Engineering
Manna Laboratory primarily works on developing analytical techniques and engineering proteins with significant applications in climate change-related areas. The students in the lab will have the opportunity to build optical microscopies and characterize light-harvesting antenna complexes, plastic-degrading enzymes, and fluorescent proteins found in jellyfish that have implications in photosynthesis, greener solutions for plastic waste management, and biosensing, respectively.
Zac Schultz
Raman Spectroscopic Imaging and Trace Detection
The Schultz lab is interested in developing Raman spectroscopy for the identification of chemical species. Applications range from identifying chemicals in living plants to identifying chemical changes in cells and tissue resulting from exposure to radiation. We are also interested in understanding spatially resolved chemical profiles related to biological activity and are actively developing new methods to image molecular properties.
Biochemistry
Jane Jackman
Molecular Biology & Enzymes
The Jackman lab seeks to understand how diverse organisms produce and maintain a high quality pool of non-coding RNA. We study many enzymes that perform RNA processing and modification reactions that are essential for the health of organisms from bacteria to humans, and apply biochemical, biophysical and genetic methods to understanding their functions in vitro and in vivo. Students will gain experience using techniques ranging from RNA biochemistry to protein enzyme purification, analysis and kinetics while answering questions about the activities of enzymes from all domains of life.
Christopher Jaroniec
Structural and Dynamic Studies of Protein and Protein-DNA Assemblies
Our research is aimed at understanding mechanism and function in large protein and protein-nucleic acid complexes and assemblies of fundamental importance in biology via atomistic level characterization of biomacromolecular structure, conformational dynamics and interactions. We employ an interdisciplinary approach, which includes multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in the solid-state and in solution, high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling electron microscopy as well as complementary biophysical, chemical, molecular biology and computational tools. Major current research directions include: (i) elucidation of the structural basis of strain and cross-seeding barrier phenomena in mammalian prion protein amyloids, (ii) characterization of chromatin structure, dynamics and interactions with particular focus on the role of dynamic histone protein tail domains in mediating chromatin compaction and interactions with regulatory proteins, (iii) characterization of DNA base pairing and hydrogen bonding in large protein-DNA complexes and (iv) development of paramagnetic solid-state NMR methods for rapid protein structure determination.
Agnes Karasik
Molecular Biology & RNases
The Karasik lab is broadly interested in studying RNases that are related to human health and disease. Undergraduate students will learn a wide range of molecular biology techniques (such as cell culture and western blotting) and high throughput sequencing methods, such as long read RNA sequencing (nanopore) while they are pursuing hypothesis driven research.
Thomas Magliery
Protein Engineering
The Magliery lab studies the sequence basis of protein stability and other physical properties using high-throughput, statistical, and rational approaches. Summer students could participate in fundamental studies in protein stability or in applied protein engineering for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
Karin Musier-Forsyth
Molecular Biology & Enzymes
Projects in the Musier-Forsyth lab are focused on characterizing protein-RNA interactions involved in HIV-1 replication and fidelity mechanisms in protein synthesis. Undergraduate students will learn techniques such as protein and RNA purification, enzyme kinetic assays, RNA structure-probing, and characterizing RNA-protein binding interactions.
Inorganic Chemistry
Christine Thomas
Catalysis
Research in the Thomas laboratory focuses on the design of functional catalysts using Earth-abundant transition metals for the development of more sustainable and environmentally friendly technology. The summer project will involve the synthesis and characterization of new transition metal complexes and their use as catalysts for the activation of readily available small molecules (e.g. carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ammonia) and/or organic transformations. Over the course of the summer project, students will learn how to synthesize and manipulate air and moisture-sensitive inorganic and organometallic complexes using glovebox and Schlenk techniques, as well as a variety of spectroscopic and analytical methods such as NMR, IR, and UV-Vis spectroscopies and cyclic voltammetry.
Joe Zadrozny
Inorganic Chemistry and Magnetic Resonance
The Zadrozny group seeks a student to work on novel magnetic molecules toward long-term applications in magnetic resonance imaging and quantum sensing. The student could end up, for example, targeting exotic nuclear magnetic resonance properties of Co(III)-containing molecules, or exploring the magnetization dynamics of paramagnetic complexes, like those containing Cu(II), V(IV), or Fe(III).
Shiyu Zhang
Inorganic Synthesis and Energy
We are a group of chemists utilizing synthetic inorganic chemistry to tackle unmet challenges at the frontiers of energy storage and energy conversion. Group members can expect to gain experience in the synthesis of organic, inorganic, and organometallic compounds, characterization of air-sensitive/temperature-sensitive complexes, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and battery fabrication techniques.
Organic Chemistry
Christopher Hadad
Computational Chemistry, Synthesis and Enzymology
The Hadad research team uses computational modeling, organic synthesis and biochemical evaluations to design, synthesize and evaluate the efficacy of novel drug-like compounds for the treatment of organophosphorus poisoning. An undergraduate student could be involved in one of these approaches as part of our research team, perhaps doing computational modeling for the design of novel therapeutics or the synthesis, characterization and biochemical evaluation of individual compounds for in vitro studies.
Felix Raps
Biocatalysis
The Raps lab focuses on repurposing natural enzymes to develop sustainable methods for the synthesis of valuable small molecules such as pharmaceutically relevant structures. A summer project includes the investigation of enzymes for the catalytic activity to fluorinate, form carbon-carbon bonds, and synthesis as well as design of enzyme compatible reagents. Techniques that will be covered span (chemical) biology and synthesis of substrates to gain insight into the catalytic behavior of enzymes. Students will learn recombinant expression of enzymes with sterile techniques, manipulation of DNA by polymerase chain reactions (PCR), assay development to probe catalytic activity of enzymes, inert techniques with Schlenk and glovebox, and synthesis of small molecules in batch. In addition, students will learn to work with a multitude of spectroscopic techniques including NMR, IR, and UV-Vis to characterize products.
Davita Watkins
Organic and Polymer Materials
Research in the Watkins laboratory focuses on the design of π-conjugated polymers, nanoparticles, and NIR/SWIR fluorophores for next-generation biomedical imaging and energy applications. The summer project will involve the synthesis and characterization of functional monomers and amphiphilic conjugates, nanoparticle formulation, and structure–property studies using spectroscopic and imaging techniques. Students will gain hands-on experience in physical organic chemistry, polymer science, and materials characterization while contributing to projects at the intersection of supramolecular chemistry, bioimaging, and optoelectronics.
Physical Chemistry
William “Memo” Carpenter
Spectroscopy of Single Biomolecules and Biological Nanoparticles
The Carpenter Group focuses on fundamental relationships between the chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles made from biological building blocks. For example, we are interested in systems like drug delivery nanoparticles, and how their molecular properties could be understood and improved upon for more effective drug delivery. A key feature of these objects is that they are highly heterogeneous in their properties: each nanoparticle is different in terms of aspects like their size, stoichiometry, and molecular arrangement. An undergraduate researcher in this lab would make new fluorescence measurements to assess variability between single biological nanoparticles, and contribute to designing and constructing laser experiments for sensitive detection.
Amr Dodin
Computational Chemistry
Our group uses computer simulations, machine learning, and mathematical theories to understand a wide variety of questions at the interface of chemistry, biology, and physics. For example, (1) why do chemical reactions get faster near liquid interfaces? (2) how do photosynthetic organisms regulate their response to changes in light intensity throughout the day, year, and across evolutionary generations? (3) what is the most efficient quantum computer thermodynamics allows us to build?
Christopher Jaroniec – see Biochemistry above
Structural and Dynamic Studies of Protein and Protein-DNA Assemblies
John Herbert
Quantum Chemistry
A student in the Herbert group will perform quantum chemistry calculations of intermolecular interactions with the goal of elucidating the fundamental molecular forces that drive pi-stacking interactions.
Alexander Sokolov
Computational Chemistry and Theory
Summer projects in the Sokolov group will focus on computer simulations of excited states and spectra of molecules and materials with complicated electronic structure. Students will use state-of-the-art quantum chemical methods to understand properties of molecules and materials important in photochemistry and catalysis. Students will also use computer programming to analyze the results of calculations and will have an opportunity to participate in the development of new theoretical methods.
Mathematics
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Microbiology
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Kou-San Ju
Natural Products Drug Discovery
The Ju lab integrates genomic, metabolomic, biochemical, and genetic methods to accelerate discovery of new microbial natural products and the mechanisms of their biosynthesis. Summer students will employ a combination of these techniques to reveal new chemical diversity encoded within microbial genomes important for drug discovery.
Justin North
Biofuels
The North Lab studies the production of renewable fuels and chemicals by bacteria. Bacteria can convert greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into needed fuel and plastic alternatives that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Students in the lab will learn to grow photosynthetic bacteria engineered for ethylene, propylene, or hydrogen biofuel production. They will also learn and apply genetic techniques to help further engineer these bacteria with new or enhanced capabilities. This results in bacteria with increased biofuel production, which students quantify by chromatography and mass spectroscopy techniques to identify which engineered bacteria strains are best suited for industrial-scale biofuel production.
Chad Rappleye
Fungal Respiratory Pathogens
The Rappleye lab investigates how respiratory pathogens cause disease with a specific focus on fungal pathogens like Histoplasma capsulatum. We use molecular genetic approaches to facilitate functional tests of factors used by Histoplasma to survive and proliferate within host cells. We model infections using cultured macrophage cells and employ cellular and biochemical studies to understand fungal virulence factors. In addition, we are using screening of small molecules to identify potential antifungal compounds as therapeutics for fungal disease. Students will be involved in projects to create mutants in Histoplasma using CRISPR/Cas9 methodology as well as analyze mutants by cellular/microscopy and biochemical tests.
Physics
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Daniel Brandenburg
Nuclear Physics of Heavy Ion Collisions
My research focuses on ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions to study nuclear matter under extreme temperature and density. These collisions recreate the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), a state of matter from the early universe where quarks and gluons are no longer confined within hadrons. When heavy nuclei collide, they form a hot, dense fireball of quarks and gluons that momentarily exists in the QGP phase before cooling rapidly. Since the QGP cannot be observed directly, we reconstruct its properties from the particles produced as it cools. I also study so-called Ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions – those where the colliding nuclei just miss one another. These Ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions are still interesting because they generate the strongest electromagnetic fields in the universe. I use these fields as intense photon sources to study the gluon structure and dynamics inside large nuclei. These photon interactions also provide opportunities to search for physics beyond the Standard Model. Additionally, my research contributes to the next-generation nuclear physics experiment in the US: the Electron Ion Collider (EIC). The EIC will collide high-energy electrons with heavy nuclei, offering unprecedented precision to map the structure of nuclear matter. My group is actively involved in developing the EIC’s physics program and building its first detector, as part of the EPIC collaboration.
Ralf Bundschuh
Bioinformatics and Statistical Physics
The Bundschuh lab studies the interactions between nucleic acid molecules (DNA and RNA) and proteins using computational methods from Statistical Physics and biological sequence analysis. High throughput sequencing has made it possible to obtain exquisitely detailed information on nucleic acids protein interactions but it requires the analysis of large data sets in order to extract biological knowledge from the sequencing data. Students will learn how to perform such data analysis on one (or more) of several experimental collaborators’ data sets and hopefully discover new insights into the Biology involving nucleic acid protein interactions.
Jackie Chini
Physics Education Research
Dr. Chini’s research group studies access and inclusion in physics, mainly at the undergraduate level and beyond. Our group uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods and applies frameworks from sociology, psychology, disability studies and education to address challenges in physics. Research projects can be tailored to students interests and are ideal for students with a background in physics and interests in fields such as sociology, psychology, education, and/or statistics.
Jay Gupta
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Quantum Computing
The Gupta Group is dedicated to exploring the properties of novel materials at the atomic scale to address problems in energy conversion and advanced computing. Our central focus is on scanning tunneling microscopy of nanomaterials, which allows us to directly correlate novel properties with the atomic scale structure. Summer research students will work with a team of other undergraduate and graduate students in hands-on vacuum science work in support of STM experiments. Students will learn ultrahigh vacuum hardware, surface preparation and surface analysis techniques, and apply them to novel materials, including 2D materials such as graphene.
Michael Poirier
Chromatin Biophysics and Single-Molecule Spectroscopy
The Poirier lab investigates the physical properties of the human genome and how these properties regulates gene expression. Undergraduate Students will participate in studies that could include the preparation of DNA-protein complexes that mimic how genomic DNA is organized in chromatin, preparation and application of DNA origami nano devices for studying chromatin structural dynamics, and application of single molecule fluorescence and force measurements to characterize chromatin structure dynamics and function.
Public Health
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Epidemiology
Arbor Quist
Assessing Public Health Risks from Oilfield Brine Road Spreading in Rural Ohio
Our research team examines the health effects of industrial pollution in Ohio. This summer, we will be working with community partners to study the potential health impacts of spreading oilfield brine on roads in Licking County and Ashtabula County. Our team applies innovative biomonitoring techniques to measure radioactive radium and heavy metals in baby teeth and soil, providing evidence of environmental exposure over time. The undergraduate student will gain hands-on experience in community engagement, survey design, participant recruitment, interviewing, soil sampling, sample processing, and data management. The student will also have the opportunity to develop an independent project exploring environmental exposure patterns or health implications.
Statistics
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Steephanson Anthonymuthu
Relative Effect Size Estimation of Treatments for Non-Normal Outcomes
Relative effect size estimation (a measure of stochastic superiority) for treatments is commonly used in medicine and epidemiology. Analyzing normal and continuous data for relative effect size estimation is much more flexible, and many tools are available. Estimating the relative effect size of treatments for non-normal data models is always challenging. In response to the growing interest when the outcome variable is binary or ordinal, especially when observations are clustered, measured longitudinally, or zero-inflated, non-parametric methods can be employed with some limitations. In this work, a much more convenient parametric method via generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) under a Bayesian approach will be discussed. The student will learn about selection criteria in mixed models and perform simulation studies in R to explore their performance under different settings. Students with some experience coding in R and Bayesian statistics are encouraged to apply.
Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS, Public Health/Medicine)
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Ahmad El Hellani and Theodore Wagener
Project 1
This project examines the effects of nicotine on e-cigarette appeal, abuse liability, use patterns and toxicity. Historically, the tobacco industry manipulated nicotine in cigarettes to promote smoking. They are now following the same playbook for e-cigarettes. These manipulations have led to e-cigarettes with increased palatability and nicotine delivery, maximizing their appeal and addictiveness, particularly to young people. While e-cigarettes may be a less harmful alternative for smokers who completely switch, e-cigarette uptake, use, and addiction among young people is alarming. Just as the tobacco industry manipulates nicotine to create e-cigarettes that appeal to young people, we propose that the US FDA, through nicotine regulation, can make products unappealing to young people and non-users while still providing smokers with a less harmful alternative with sufficient appeal and satisfaction. To test this hypothesis, Project 1 will examine how the various dimensions of nicotine effect the appeal, addictiveness, use patterns, and toxicity of e-cigarettes among cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users.
Brittney Keller-Hamilton and Marielle Brinkman
Project 2
Oral nicotine pouches (ONPs) have a lower toxicant burden than cigarettes and traditional smokeless tobacco products. Project 2 will identify characteristics of nicotine concentration, form, and isomer that best support cigarette smokers’ and smokeless tobacco users’ complete transition to lower-risk oral nicotine pouches. Project 2 will also evaluate changes to the human oral microbiome in response to switching from cigarettes/smokeless tobacco to oral nicotine pouches. Results will inform FDA regulations designed to reduce the disease burden of tobacco use by fostering complete switching to a less harmful product among established smokers and smokeless tobacco users who cannot or will not quit using nicotine.
Darren Mays
Project 3
The tobacco industry has long relied on specific marketing strategies to sell their products, and over time tobacco packaging has become an essential component of tobacco industry marketing. Increasingly, tobacco companies are shifting marketing investments to newer products, including oral nicotine pouches. Marketing for these products uses unique strategies, including communicating about dimensions of nicotine to consumers. This includes displaying nicotine concentration on oral nicotine pouch packaging, and using claims such as the products contain “tobacco free” nicotine. Project 3 will study how manipulating different dimensions of nicotine in oral nicotine pouch marketing affect how consumers engage with the marketing, their perceptions of oral nicotine pouches, their preferences for oral nicotine pouches relative to other tobacco products, and whether they decide to use them. Students involved in this project will have opportunities to assist with participant recruitment and screening, data collection including in-person laboratory visits with psychophysiological assessment, and working with resulting data.
Amy Ferketich and Megan Roberts
Project 4
The goals of Project 4 are to identify marketing exposures and product design characteristics across the nicotine dimensions that are appealing to adolescents and young adults and increase their risk of continued use, product escalation, and nicotine dependence. This project is a two-year, prospective observational study with a national sample of 1,500 youth and young adults. The methods involve administering surveys every six months and week-long ecological momentary assessments at baseline, one year, and two years. A focus of the analyses will also be on priority populations that have been historically targeted by the tobacco industry. Students working on this project will be involved with data collection and data cleaning. Their independent project may involve analyzing data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey to examine questions related to e-cigarettes or oral nicotine pouches.