Organic/Material Chemistry Researchers
Cheng Zhang
My current research interests include biomass conversion into liquid fuels, chemicals and materials. The research aims to develop enabling technologies for the creation of the future thermochemical biorefineary: a self-sufficient hydrothermal liquefaction process that does not rely on petroleum-derived solvents for its continuous operation, a non-reductive catalytic process for biocrude deoxygenation, and chemical modification of biocrude for various applications including asphalt binder, adhesive, controlled release fertilizer, lifetime extension of natural fiber products, etc.
Fathi Halaweish
My group conducts research on the structural, synthetic and medicinal chemistry of natural products, including modeling and synthesis of drug-like analogs for therapeutic applications. Our research has produced several cancer chemotherapeutic candidates targeting liver, lung, colon, pancreas, prostate, ovarian and cervical, melanoma, breast cancer and drug candidates for other diseases, such as type 2-diabetes.
Rachel Willand-Charnley
The overall objective of the Willand-Charnley Lab is to generate interdisciplinary solutions to biological problems facing society synergistically through the lab鈥檚 organic chemistry and glyco-cancer immunology research programs. The group鈥檚 glyco-cancer immunology investigations inform synthetic targets for glycan therapeutics producing innovative synthetic methods and materials to evaluate their effectiveness against important cancers. The labs intersection of organic chemistry and biology allows the unique advantage of identifying promising therapeutic targets, synthesis of therapeutics in house and testing of their effectiveness.
