CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: “Quantitative Transcriptional Regulation through Protein–DNA Interactions in Developing Systems” (Gaochen Jin)
Abstract: Precise regulation of gene expression is essential for controlling developmental programs, maintaining cellular identity, and ensuring proper tissue function. Dynamic interactions between proteins and cis-regulatory elements integrate molecular mechanisms […]
CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: “Computational Analysis of Colloidal Self-Assembly with Interaction Heterogeneity” (Po-Ting Wu)
Abstract: Micron-scale colloidal particles with short-ranged attractions, e.g., colloids functionalized with single-stranded DNA oligomers, have emerged as a powerful platform for studying colloidal self-assembly phenomena with the long-term goal of […]
CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: “Computational Strategies for Efficiently Sampling Conformational Changes in Solvated Macromolecules” (Akash Pallath)
Abstract: Solvated macromolecules such as proteins and polymers undergo conformational changes in response to stimuli such as pressure, temperature, pH, ligand binding, and post-translational modification. These transitions are fundamental to […]
CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: “Reconfigurable Metasurfaces Based on Multistable Elastic Pixels” (Jed-Joan S. Edziah)
Abstract: Metamaterials are engineered materials designed to manipulate and tailor electromagnetic (EM) waves. Metasurfaces are planar metamaterials that rely on inclusions whose optical properties and spatial arrangements are designed to […]
CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: “Bridging Transcription and Signaling to Study c-MYC Function and Regulation in Cancer Cells” (Reshma Kalyan Sundaram)
Abstract: The transcription factor c-MYC (MYC) is a master regulator of gene expression and is frequently deregulated in human cancers. Despite the prevalent role of MYC in cancers, no MYC […]
CBE Seminar: “Redox-responsive Interfaces for Selective Electrochemical Separations” (Xiao Su, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
Abstract: Electric fields and electrochemical reactions can unlock new separation pathways. While electrochemical separations have been explored previously for water desalination, their translation to value-added chemical manufacturing or resource recovery […]
CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: “Designing Solvent-Based Order Parameters for Characterizing Binding of Surfaces with Different Hydrophobicity Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations” (Jun Lu)
Abstract: Life is dependent on water: most self-assembly and binding processes of biomolecules take place in water. Water-mediated interactions are an essential driving force behind these processes, which is largely […]
CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: “Tailoring MXene Chemistry through Composition and Undercoordination for Applications in Hydrogen Chemistries” (Yamilée Morency)
Abstract: Global transition to clean energy relies on the development of efficient hydrogen storage materials and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts—two primary chemistries investigated in this thesis. MXenes, a family […]
CBE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: “Understanding and Modulating Interactions between Polymers and Nanoparticles for Effective Catalyst Design in Polymer Upcycling” (Anirban Majumder)
Abstract: Despite recent advances in catalytic conversion of plastic waste into high-value chemicals, the interactions between the polymers and catalysts, which are highly porous nanomaterials, are not well understood. Fundamental […]
CBE & VIEST Joint Seminar: “Lignin Conversion to Performance-advantaged Fuels, Chemicals, and Polymers” (Gregg Beckham, NREL)
Abstract: Terrestrial plants harbor renewable carbon resources in their cell walls that can directly contribute to decarbonization of the transportation and materials sectors, but the heterogeneous, aromatic lignin polymer found […]