(6gs) Interfacial Molecular Engineering of Bio-Inorganic Systems from Aqueous Molecules to Assembled High Order Functional Materials

Biology heavily relies on the bottom-up self-assembly of bio-inorganic materials to create higher order functional systems that impact human health, e.g., hard tissue biomineralization and joint bio-lubrication. Emerging technologies have benefitted by mimicking nature’s approaches leading to potential remedies for disease and current societal challenges, e.g., biosensing, drug delivery and efficient catalysis. As a future junior faculty, my research interest is on molecular engineering of active bio-inorganic interfaces for bioelectronic and biomedical applications, such as tailored biosensing and biomolecular logic devices. By utilizing local solution property gradients to direct the statistical distributions of aqueous biomolecular conformation, control over the molecular interactions, structure and transport properties of the bio-inorganic interface is possible. This research effort will include the collective interrogation of biophysical, interfacial, and transport phenomena via unique nanoscopic characterization tools, partially developed during my PhD, corroborated with computer simulations.

The main advantage of this molecular engineering approach is the ability to rationally engineer systems based on fundamentals sans trial-and-error. In my on-going research, I have successfully implemented molecular engineering principles to rationally design peptides with predictable assembly structures and binding energies at 2D inorganic surfaces. Key to my work has been the dual application of molecular dynamics simulations and the adaption of nanoscale energetic analysis techniques to locally interrogate how environmental selection of aqueous peptide conformation via temperature, pH, or electric fields impacted surface binding and assembly. While my current research focuses on the aqueous and surface adsorbed phases, my future research plan entails extending the analysis to the near surface boundary regime. The molecular engineering of the bulk deviating chemical potential and transport phenomena within this dimensionally confined layer would allow for immense control over the function of bio-inorganic systems with implications to emerging technologies, such as, directed nucleation, tailored sensing in bioelectronics, and improved tribological materials.

Teaching Interests:

My graduate training in Molecular Engineering has broadened my base beyond Chemical Engineering to include the intersections of Bioengineering, Materials Sciences, and Biochemistry. As the lines between traditional engineering fields continue to blur, specifically for emerging technologies, interdisciplinary aspects involving Nanoscience and Molecular Engineering (NME) become essential aspects in our educational programs starting at the undergraduate (UG) level to prepare students for the demands of our future workforce. The University of Washington has spearheaded the incorporation of NME into the core UG Chemical Engineering program. During my PhD, I have had the opportunity to take active part as teaching assistant (TA) in the incorporation and development of NME specific courses, as well as module developments for classical Chemical Engineering transport courses in the graduate program. As future faculty, my intent is to further refine my experiences and weave NME principles throughout my teaching so students can tackle problems currently insufficiently addressed by mere phenomenological approaches. This will include, besides theoretical classroom teaching, hands-on experimental and computational module development. My aim is to lead a lab that facilitates an environment in which undergraduates can develop their research experience and cultivate technical skills critical for industry or academia. Based on personal experience, hands-on individual research experience at the UG level greatly informs related course material and the professional interests of the student. Additionally, as I have learned from mentoring four undergraduates, this emphasis on UG research gives graduate students valuable experience leading student research, thus, better preparing them for their future research careers. Beyond the incorporation of NME principles into UG education, I plan to emphasize the critical evaluation of relevant scientific papers at the UG level, since this skill is of increasing importance as information (accurate or otherwise) becomes more readily available and disseminated via online sources.