Faculty Research

Professor and doctoral student talking in la

Our accomplished faculty serves in editorial positions with the Journal of Coordination Chemistry, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design, and European Chemical Bulletin, among others.

Several hold patents developed through their research, and are members and fellows of the American Chemical Society. Their impactful research on health- and materials-related chemistry contributes to answering some of society’s most pressing scientific questions.

Recent Grants

Sergio Granados-Focil and Luis Smith, National Science Foundation: “An integrated study of ion dynamics and population distributions to understand the molecular underpinnings of charge transport through self-assembled solid polymer electrolytes”
Noel Lazo, National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging): “Determinants of the Proteolytic Degradation of Soluble Amyloid-beta”
Sergio Granados-Focil, in collaboration with Steven Van Dessel of WPI’s Civil Engineering Department, National Science Foundation: “Collaborative Research: Adaptive Building Enclosure Systems Using Cellular Solid-Solid Phase Change Materials With Variable Transparency”
Donald Spratt, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of General Medical Sciences): “Structure and Mechanism of HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases”

Faculty Research Areas

Sergio Granados-Focil

Sergio Granados-Focil

New polymeric materials for renewable energy

Professor Granados-Focil’s research focuses on better understanding the principles controlling charge transport within polymeric matrices and establishing a roadmap towards nano-structured, multifunctional materials with improved ionic conductivity or optoelectronic properties. Renewable energy alternatives, flexible optoelectronic devices and better energy storage are promising areas that will benefit from tailoring the materials properties via a precise control of their structure at the molecular and supramolecular scales.

Sergio Granados-Focil

Sergio Granados-Focil

New polymeric materials for renewable energy

Professor Granados-Focil’s research focuses on better understanding the principles controlling charge transport within polymeric matrices and establishing a roadmap towards nano-structured, multifunctional materials with improved ionic conductivity or optoelectronic properties. Renewable energy alternatives, flexible optoelectronic devices and better energy storage are promising areas that will benefit from tailoring the materials properties via a precise control of their structure at the molecular and supramolecular scales.

Shuanghong Hao

Shuanghong Huo

Computational chemistry and biophysics

Professor Shuanghong Huo’s research focuses on on computer simulation of molecular interactions in complex systems, particularly protein-protein interactions and protein-small molecule interactions; computer-aided, structure-based drug design; and development of novel computational algorithms to study enzyme reaction mechanism.

Shuanghong Hao

Shuanghong Huo

Computational chemistry and biophysics

Professor Shuanghong Huo’s research focuses on on computer simulation of molecular interactions in complex systems, particularly protein-protein interactions and protein-small molecule interactions; computer-aided, structure-based drug design; and development of novel computational algorithms to study enzyme reaction mechanism.

Charles Jakobsche

Charles Jakobsche

Organic and medicinal chemistry

Professor Jakobsche’s research examines:

Using synthetic organic chemistry to make target molecules.
Designing functional probe molecules that have well defined interactions with particular proteins or other biological structures and that can be used for chemical biology analysis of these systems.
Developing new organic chemistry reactions that can help enable more efficient synthesis of target molecules.
Performing detailed analysis of reactions or molecular structures to better understand the properties and reactivities of unusual organic molecules.
Using chemistry to learn about biological systems that are relevant to diseases, medicines, or the immune system.

Charles Jakobsche

Charles Jakobsche

Organic and medicinal chemistry

Professor Jakobsche’s research examines:

Using synthetic organic chemistry to make target molecules.
Designing functional probe molecules that have well defined interactions with particular proteins or other biological structures and that can be used for chemical biology analysis of these systems.
Developing new organic chemistry reactions that can help enable more efficient synthesis of target molecules.
Performing detailed analysis of reactions or molecular structures to better understand the properties and reactivities of unusual organic molecules.
Using chemistry to learn about biological systems that are relevant to diseases, medicines, or the immune system.

Noel Lazo

Noel Lazo

Biophysical chemistry of protein misfolding and self-assembly in disease

Professor Lazo’s research is focused on the biophysics of misfolding and self-assembly of proteins associated with disease. Proteins of interest include the amyloid β-protein in Alzheimer’s disease, islet amyloid polypeptide associated with type 2 diabetes, the prion protein in various forms of prionoses, and skin proteins linked to epidermolysis bullosa, a disease characterized by skin blistering following little or no trauma.

Noel Lazo

Noel Lazo

Biophysical chemistry of protein misfolding and self-assembly in disease

Professor Lazo’s research is focused on the biophysics of misfolding and self-assembly of proteins associated with disease. Proteins of interest include the amyloid β-protein in Alzheimer’s disease, islet amyloid polypeptide associated with type 2 diabetes, the prion protein in various forms of prionoses, and skin proteins linked to epidermolysis bullosa, a disease characterized by skin blistering following little or no trauma.

Arundhati Nag smiling to camera in lab

Arundhati Nag

Peptide and protein science; biomimetic catalysts and sensors

Professor Nag’s lab develops unique peptide or peptidomimetic macrocycles using robust chemical reactions and Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis. Macrocycles, with molecular weights of approximately 1,000, bridge the gap between small molecules and proteins, in terms of size and composition. Chemical synthesis of macrocycles allows one to incorporate unique properties such as thermal and protease stability and inclusion of small molecules. Harnessing the power of molecular recognition in macrocycles, her lab is currently working on different aspects of biological chemistry and catalysis.

Arundhati Nag smiling to camera in lab

Arundhati Nag

Peptide and protein science; biomimetic catalysts and sensors

Professor Nag’s lab develops unique peptide or peptidomimetic macrocycles using robust chemical reactions and Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis. Macrocycles, with molecular weights of approximately 1,000, bridge the gap between small molecules and proteins, in terms of size and composition. Chemical synthesis of macrocycles allows one to incorporate unique properties such as thermal and protease stability and inclusion of small molecules. Harnessing the power of molecular recognition in macrocycles, her lab is currently working on different aspects of biological chemistry and catalysis.

Luis Smith

Luis Smith

Materials science

Professor Smith’s research examines the structures and dynamics of materials in which organization of complex compositions over small length scales occurs: high surface area layered, exfoliated, or mesoporous metal oxides and inorganic/organic nanocomposites.

Luis Smith

Luis Smith

Materials science

Professor Smith’s research examines the structures and dynamics of materials in which organization of complex compositions over small length scales occurs: high surface area layered, exfoliated, or mesoporous metal oxides and inorganic/organic nanocomposites.

Don Spratt

Donald Spratt

Protein structure and function related to disease

Professor Spratt’s research is focused on the regulation of enzyme catalysis and protein function. Interactions between two or more proteins plays an integral role in cell division and homeostasis. The development of various human diseases can occur when these protein-protein interactions are disrupted or modified. Understanding how these protein-protein interactions affect an enzyme’s ability to make or break bonds and its underlying mechanism is an important step in drug design/development.

Don Spratt

Donald Spratt

Protein structure and function related to disease

Professor Spratt’s research is focused on the regulation of enzyme catalysis and protein function. Interactions between two or more proteins plays an integral role in cell division and homeostasis. The development of various human diseases can occur when these protein-protein interactions are disrupted or modified. Understanding how these protein-protein interactions affect an enzyme’s ability to make or break bonds and its underlying mechanism is an important step in drug design/development.

Mark Tumbull

Mark Turnbull

Organometallic, magnetochemistry

Professor Turnbull’s research lies in the preparation of new materials, focusing on two areas:

Molecular magnetism, using our understanding of structure, bonding and geometry to control the bulk magnetic properties of a material at the molecular level.
Low-dimensional Antiferromagnets: Copper oxide-based high temperature superconductors introduced a new era to the field of conducting materials, but the mechanism of their superconductivity is still not well understood.

Mark Tumbull

Mark Turnbull

Organometallic, magnetochemistry

Professor Turnbull’s research lies in the preparation of new materials, focusing on two areas:

Molecular magnetism, using our understanding of structure, bonding and geometry to control the bulk magnetic properties of a material at the molecular level.
Low-dimensional Antiferromagnets: Copper oxide-based high temperature superconductors introduced a new era to the field of conducting materials, but the mechanism of their superconductivity is still not well understood.

Faculty Research Stories

Professor welcomes high schoolers to his lab

Partnership with Worcester Public Schools sparks interest in STEM careers

Chemist, researcher, and, above all, teacher

Professor Mark Turnbull earns John A. Timm Award

An honor for Professor Granados-Focil

Clark chemist named 2017 American Chemistry Society Fellow

Contact Information

Gustaf H. Carlson School of Chemistry

Contact Us

Arthur M. Sackler Sciences Center
Room S134
950 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01610
1-508-793-7116
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