Abigail Knight
Assistant Professor
Caudill Laboratories 217919-445-1187
aknight@unc.edu
Group Website
Curriculum Vitae
Research Interests
Bioinspired Materials, Chemical Biology, Polymer Chemistry
Research Synopsis
The Knight group focuses on designing novel macromolecular materials with functions inspired by biological systems. These materials will generate platforms of new biomimetic polymeric architectures addressing growing concerns in treating, diagnosing, and preventing human disease.
This research bridges the fields of chemical biology and polymer chemistry using characterization and synthetic tools including polymer and solid-phase synthesis and nanomaterial characterization. Specific project areas include: (1) developing a new class of peptide-polymer amphiphiles inspired by metalloproteins, (2) designing well-defined polymer bioconjugates for biosensing, and (3) evolving functional biomimetic polymers.
Professional Background
B.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2010; Ph.D. with Professor Matthew Francis at University of California at Berkeley, 2015; Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow with Professor Craig Hawker, University of California Santa Barbara, 2015-2018
News & Publications
The researchers' experiments found that increasing the hydrophobic component of their polymer improved its ability to extract lanthanides and that the polymer showed metal selectivity.
Researchers in the Knight Group have unveiled significant advancements in the design and functionality of synthetic polymer catalysts, which could have major implications for various industrial chemical processes.