Shapiro Professor of Chemistry
Member, Graduate Faculty in Bioengineering
Affiliated with Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences & the Materials Research Institute
Chemistry Department Faculty Webpage
Education
Ph.D. in Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (1997)
Thesis: Metal Nanoparticles for Biological Spectroscopy: Control of Particle Organization
and Surface Chemistry (Advisor: M. J. Natan)
B.S. in Biology and Chemistry (Honors Diploma), St. Francis College, Loretto, PA (1991)
summa cum laude
Undergraduate Research, Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University (Summers 1989-1991)
Advisor: J. H. Fendler
Professional Experience
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Pennsylvania State University (2020-present)
Professor of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University (2012-2020)
Associate Professor of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University (2007-2012)
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University (2001-2007)
Research Assistant Professor, Fixed-Term, Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University (1999-2001)
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University (1997-1999); Advisors: P. S. Weiss and M. J. Natan
Honors and Awards
Distinguished Professor, 2020
Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal, 2017
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2014
Grandpierre Memorial Lecturer, Chandler Society for Undergraduate Chemistry, Columbia Univ., 2013
Bodil Schmidt Nielsen Fellowship & Bioengineer in Residence, Mount Desert Island Biological Lab, 2010
Professor Award, PSU Chapter Alpha Chi Sigma Chemistry Fraternity, 2006
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, 2005
Beckman Young Investigator Award, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, 2004- 2007
Unilever Award for Outstanding Young Investigator in Colloid and Surfactant Science, 2004
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, 2004
NSF New Faculty CAREER Award, 2003-2008
Roberts Graduate Fellowship, PSU Eberly College of Science, 1996-1997
Henkel Corporation Research Fellowship, ACS Colloid & Surface Chemistry, 1996-1997
Eugene and Jane Apple Science Graduate Fellowship, PSU Chemistry, 1995
Paul Berg Award in Molecular Biology, PSU, 1993
J. Stafford Ellithorp, Jr. Summer Research Fellowship, Syracuse University, 1991
Presidential Scholarship (full tuition), Saint Francis College, 1987-1991
Student Award, American Institute of Chemists Foundation, 1991
College Chemistry Award, Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, 1991
Departmental Awards in Biology and Chemistry, St. Francis College, 1991
Teaching and Educational Outreach
Courses Taught: Chemical Nanoscience (CHEM 511), Surface Chemistry (CHEM 448), Organic Chemistry (CHEM 202), Transition Metal Chemistry (CHEM 412), Biomolecules at Interfaces (CHEM 597A), General Chemistry I and II (CHEM 111 and 113).
Mentor for undergraduate researchers and K-12 teachers.
Professional Activities and Memberships
Volume Editor, Methods in Enzymology Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation and Membraneless Organelles, volume 646, publication date: January 10, 2021, ISBN: 9780128211595
Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Physical Chemistry, 2020-2022
Scientific Advisory Board, Charles E. Kaufman Foundation, 2019-
Symposium organizer, “Biomolecular Structure and Function in Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation,” ACS Fall 2019 National Meeting, San Diego, CA, August 2019.
Plenary Session Panelist, Unresolved Issues in the Origins of Life: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. AbSciCon, Bellevue, WA, June 26, 2019
Symposium co-organizer, “Major transitions in organismal individuality: From compartments, to protocells, to cells,” AbSciCon, Bellevue, WA, June 2019
Invited participant, NSF Ideas Lab on Understanding the Rules of Life: Building a Synthetic Cell, February 25- March 1, 2019
Symposium co-organizer, “Self- and Directed Assembly of Molecules and Particles,” ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium, at Penn State University, June 2018
Symposium co-organizer, “Responsive, Programmable Assembly of Active Colloids for Functional Materials,” ACS Fall National Meeting, Washington, DC, August 2017
Co-Chair, DOE Biomolecular Materials Contractors Meeting, August 2017
Symposium co-organizer, “Aqueous Cytomimetic Materials,” MRS meeting April 2017
Doctoral thesis committee member, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands, 2017
Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2017-present
Invited participant, NSF/NASA Ideas Lab on Origins of Life, September 19-23, 2016
External Advisory Board, NSF/NASA CCI: Center for Chemical Evolution (GA Tech), 2015-2019
Discussion Leader, Biointerface Science GRC, Il Ciocco, Italy, June 15-19, 2014.
Panel Reviewer, NIH F05-R fellowship study section, January 2013
Invited workshop participant, Building Research Partnerships Among Women Scientists and Engineers in the U.S. and Brazil, Boston, MA, 2013
Member, Instrumentation and Systems Development (ISD) Study Section, National Institutes of Health (2009 – 2012)
External Advisory Board, Saint Francis University STEP Grant (2006 – 2010)
Selection committee member, Victor K. LaMer Award, ACS Colloid and Surface Division (2009-2010)
Symposium Organizer, Artificial Cells, at the 2009 AAAS meeting, February 12-16 2009, Chicago, IL.
Reviewer and external committee member, Doctoral thesis and defense, Yanhong Li, MPI Golm, Germany, February 2009
Panelist, NSF review panel, 2008
Ad hoc reviewer, NANO, CCNE, EBT, etc, National Institutes of Health, 2002-2008
Invited participant, NSF-sponsored workshop on the Future of Materials Science & Engineering Education, Washington, DC, Sept. 18-19, 2008.
Member, on-site review team, NSF NSEC, June 2007
Faculty Opponent, Martin Markstrom Ph.D, Chalmers University Gothenberg, Sweden, 2007
Discussion Leader at the Gordon Research Conference on Nanostructure Fabrication, July 16-21, 2006, Tilton, NH.
Member of scientific committee, Molecular Plasmonics Workshop, Jena, Germany, May 2005.
Symposium Organizer, Nanoparticles in Bioanalytical Chemistry, Fall 2002 FACSS meeting, held in Providence, RI, October 17, 2002.
Member of scientific committee for workshop, DNA-based molecular construction held in Jena, Germany, May 2002.
Symposium Co-organizer, Biological Applications of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, National Meeting of the ACS, 2002, New Orleans, LA.
Symposium Co-organizer, Anisotropic Nanoparticles, Fall 2000 Materials Research Society meeting, 2000 in Boston, MA.
Proposal Reviewer for: National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Science Foundation Ireland, Army Research Office, Department of Energy, S.C. EPSCOR/DoD, Research Corporation (Cottrell), American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund, National Research Foundation of Korea
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, Biophysical Society, Materials Research Society, Sigma Xi