Elizabeth Brunk

Assistant Professor, Jointly Appointed with the Department of of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine

Functional genomics, cancer systems biology, multi-omics, bioinformatics, precision medicine

Research in the Brunk laboratory focuses on developing computational methods that accelerate the clarity and utility of omics data in biomedical science. Our aim is understanding the link between genetic/molecular variation and phenotype, both in natural and engineered cellular systems. We approach these topics through the lens of computational biology, machine learning and advanced data integration. Thanks to the growing body of cancer omics data, our methods borrow strength across genomics, transcriptomics, ribosome profiling, proteomics, structural genomics, metabolomics and phenotype variability data.

Jason Surratt

Professor, Jointly Appointed with Gillings School of Global Public Health

Atmospheric analytical chemistry, Atmospheric chemistry, Environmental chemistry, Chromatographic techniques, Mass spectrometry, Multiphase chemistry, Organic aerosol chemistry

Professor Surratt specializes in atmospheric chemistry fundamentals. Dr. Surratt's lab utilizes advanced mass spectrometry and chromatographic techniques to understand as deeply as possible the atmospheric chemistry that occurs in both the gas and particulate phases, with special focus on the chemistry leading to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA).

Since SOA is a major fraction of atmospheric fine particulate matter, chemically characterizing it resolves its sources and impacts on climate, air quality, and public health. By using this approach, Dr. Surratt has helped to reveal the detailed chemical pathways leading to SOA formation from the atmospheric oxidation of isoprene (the most abundant non-methane hydrocarbon on Earth) in the presence of anthropogenic pollutants.

Professor Surratt is also interested in applying analytical chemistry tools to study emerging pollutants (e.g., PFASs and electronic cigarettes) in fine particulate matter collected from indoor and outdoor air. By applying analytical chemistry tools to emerging pollutants, we can better assess the sources, potential transformations, and ultimate fates of these chemicals in the environment. This work aids in risk assessment and potential public health impacts.

Professor Surratt earned his B.S. in Meteorology and B.A. in Chemistry from NC State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. Since 2010, Surratt has been teaching in the Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering here at UNC Chapel Hill. He has also served as Program Director of the N.C. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Testing Network since 2018.

Dr. Surratt's research combines synthetic, organic, and atmospheric analytical chemistry with toxicogenomics, toxicology and systems biology.

Awards, Accomplishments, & Service:

Health Effects Institute (HEI) Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award, 2012; American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) Sheldon K. Friedlander Award, 2013; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Early Career Award, 2013; Camille & Henry Dreyfus Environmental Chemistry Mentor, 2013; Ruth and Philip Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement, UNC-CH, 2015; ACS James J. Morgan Environmental Science & Technology Early Career Award Lectureship, 2016; Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics; Co-Editor, 2016-Present; Newton Underwood Award for Excellence in Teaching, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 2017 & 2020; ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, Editorial Board Member, 2017-Present; ACS ES&T Letters Selected Highly Prolific Authors, 2017; Elected to the Board of Directors for AAAR, 2017-2020; Teaching Innovation Award, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 2018; ACS ES&T Letters 2018 Best Paper Award for “Effect of Aerosol-Phase State on Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from the Reactive Uptake of Isoprene-Derived Epoxydiols (IEPOX),” 2019.

Andrey Dobrynin

Mackenzie Distinguished Professor

Theoretical/Computational materials chemistry, Polymer and soft matter theory, Physical chemistry

My research is focused on development of computational and theoretical models of network and gels, polyelectrolyte solutions and gels, charged polymers at surfaces and interfaces, electrostatic interactions in biological systems, wetting and adhesion, graphene based polymeric materials, nanocomposites, soft-matter physics and biophysics. New directions include development of computer models for 3D printing and advanced additive manufacturing, computationally driven and AI based materials design, statistical data analysis and “big” data visualization. The knowledge gained from these studies impacts numerous areas of Soft Matter and Polymer Science.

Andrey V. Dobrynin is Mackenzie Family Eminent Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. He received B.S. (1987) and Ph.D. (1991) degrees in Polymer Physics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia.

Before joining University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in summer 2020, he was Alan N. Gent Ohio Research Scholar, Professor of Polymer Science at the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, University of Akron (2015-2020),  faculty at the Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut (2001-2015), served as a Program Director of the Condensed Matter and Materials Theory Program, Division of Materials Research at the  National Science Foundation (2013-2015).

Prof. Dobrynin is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Polymer Division, the American Chemical Society and Member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

Nita Eskew

Teaching Associate Professor

Chemistry Education, Organic Chemistry

Sharing the excitement of chemistry with students in the lab and classroom is my passion. After implementing the first research project into the organic chemistry lab, CURE, my goal is to continue the introduction of research into the undergraduate lab curriculum. Additionally, I have an interest in medicinal plants and developed the APPLES course, 'Chemistry of Purslane'.

B.S. Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel, 1985. Ph.D. Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1989. Bayer Corporation, 1989-2001. Associate Professor, Salem College, 2001-2012. Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, 2012-present. Student Undergraduate Teaching Award, 2017

Anna Curtis

Teaching Assistant Professor

Chemistry Education

My graduate work focused on understanding the electronic dynamics in semiconductor nanomaterials with applications in solar cell technology as well as studying students’ ability to think scientifically in the general chemistry classroom. The current focus of my research lies in chemical education, particularly in course assessment and reform. I have been involved in curriculum development for the general chemistry classroom and laboratory with a focus on scientific thinking and inclusion.

As both a teacher and researcher I am committed to constantly improving my knowledge of current research and best practices in chemical education as well as incorporating this knowledge into my teaching. I believe that it is essential to both implement these best practices and to continuously assess their effect on student learning. My interest in chemical education is driven by my belief that, with the right attitude and environment, all students are capable of learning chemistry.

B.S. Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2012; Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, 2018; Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, Radford University, 2018-2019; Teaching Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2019-present.

Alex Zhukhovitskiy

William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellow/Assistant Professor

Polymer chemistry and soft materials: organic synthesis, inorganic/organometallic/nano- catalysis, and supramolecular self-assembly.

In our Plastics Age, technological progress is limited by available polymeric materials. The intricate structure of polymers presents a formidable challenge—but also an exciting opportunity—to develop tactics and strategies that grant synthetic precision in such a complex setting. In the Zhukhovitskiy laboratory, the desired precision is engendered through the development of controlled/living polymerization methodology and original implementations of self-assembly concepts in soft materials.

Precision affords the practitioner exquisite control over materials’ properties and function, as well as the ability to test and refine our understanding of underlying structure-property relationships. Ultimately, we aim to unravel the links among polymer structure at different size scales, topology, and emergent physics, as well as to advance the application of soft materials in biomedical engineering, energy capture and conversion, surface patterning, and sustainability initiatives. Examples of target material classes include 1) entangled polymer networks, 2) conjugated block copolymers, and 3) heteroatom-rich polymers.

Research in the Zhukhovitskiy group draws upon organic synthesis, organometallic and inorganic catalysis, nanoscience, supramolecular self-assembly, and polymer science, and consequently, group members receive a highly interdisciplinary training: from design, to synthesis, and ultimately characterization and property evaluation—both in the context of small molecules and polymers. Collaboration, often critical to the success of interdisciplinary projects, is encouraged in our group.

Undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs with a passion for any flavor of synthesis and/or an interest in macromolecules are welcome to apply!

Representative Publications before UNC
1. Zhukhovitskiy, A. V.;^# Kobylianskii, I. J.;^# Wu, C.-Y.; Toste, F. D. Migratory Insertion of Carbenes into Au(III)–C Bonds. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 466–474.
2. Zhukhovitskiy, A. V.; Mavros, M. G.; Queeney, K. T.; Wu, T.; Van Voorhis, T.; Johnson, J. A. Reactions of Persistent Carbenes with Hydrogen-Terminated Silicon Surfaces. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 8639–8652.
3. Zhukhovitskiy A. V.; Zhong, M.; Keeler, E. G.; Michaelis, V. K.; Sun, J. E. P.; Hore, M. J. A.; Pochan, D. J.; Griffin, R. G.; Willard, A. P.; Johnson, J. A. Highly Branched and Loop-rich Gels via Formation of Metal-organic Cages Linked by Polymers. Nat. Chem. 2016, 8, 33–41.

# contributed equally

2016–2019: LSRF Merck Postdoctoral Fellow with Professor F. Dean Toste, University of California, Berkeley, 2011–2016: Ph.D. with Professor Jeremiah A. Johnson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
2007–2011: BA/MS in Chemistry, BA in Mathematics and Integrated Science Program, Northwestern University

Zhiyue Lu

Assistant Professor

Nonequilibrium thermodynamics, theoretical and computational statistical mechanics, molecular machines, chemical physics of living systems.

Living cells use highly complex, nonequilibrium and dynamic mechanisms to transduce energy, sense, process information, adapt, make decisions, and generate motion. These cellular functions are carried out very far from thermal equilibrium, and they are surprisingly robust against large environmental fluctuations. Due to the nonequilibrium nature and the complexity of these cellular processes, they cannot be described well by existing statistical physics theories. The Lu research group combines nonequilibrium thermodynamics theory and numerical simulation approaches to reveal the fundamental physical principles underlying these complex cellular functions. Furthermore, we apply these principles to designing smart artificial materials and biomimetic devices. The range of applications include self-healing materials, programmable biomedical nanorobots, and adaptive drug delivery system. Specific topics of our focus include temporal-responsive materials, cellular information processing, biochemical analog computers, kinetically enhanced molecular separation, and energy harvesting from nonequilibrium environments. Please feel free to contact me to suggest your brilliant ideas. We welcome applications from talented undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scholars. We seek individuals from varied academic backgrounds, with interests in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, biological physics, computational biology, and complex systems.

Postdoctoral Scholar – University of Chicago, 2016-2019; Ph.D. – University of Maryland at College Park, 2016; B.E. – Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China, 2010

Sidney Wilkerson-Hill

Assistant Professor

The goal of the Hill group is to develop new reactions to obtain pyrethroids, small molecules used to combat vectors for malaria (e.g., Anopheles gambiae). We are particularly interested in identifying new small molecule pyrethroids with enhanced photostability, reduced off target toxicological properties to beneficial pollinators, and reduced insect resistance profiles. To accomplish these goals, my research group is developing new routes to orphaned cyclopropanes, a structural motif found in all pyrethroids, by using 1) biomimicry and frustrated Lewis acid-base pairs (FLP’s), 2) reagent-based approaches toward natural product families; and 3) chemotype-centric approaches using sulfones as non-stabilized carbene equivalents. These methods to obtain orphaned cyclopropanes also enable the discovery of new cyclopropane-containing medicines, since they permit rational structure activity relationship studies at the 1,1-dialkyl position - a traditionally understudied portion of chemical space.

Sidney Hill was raised in Kinston, North Carolina and conducted undergraduate studies at North Carolina State University. There, he obtained a B.S. in Polymer and Color Chemistry through the College of Textiles, a B.S. in Chemistry through the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in 2010.

In 2015, Sidney received his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Richmond Sarpong from the University of California, Berkeley where his researched focused on using transition metal-catalyzed cycloisomerization reactions to access natural product scaffolds. Then, he was a UNCF-Merck postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Huw Davies at Emory University in Atlanta, GA where his research focused on developing novel reactions using N-sulfonyltriazoles and rhodium tetracarboxylate catalysts for C–H functionalization reactions. During his graduate studies, Sidney was also involved in diversity initiatives such as the Berkeley Science Network, and California Alliance programs to address disparities facing minorities pursuing careers in the physical sciences. Since starting at UNC, he has received the ACS Herman Frasch Foundation grant, NSF CAREER Award, Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, Eli Lilly ACC Grantee Award, FMC Young Investigator Award, the ACS Organic Letters Lectureship, and the Thieme Journal Award.

Danielle Zurcher

Teaching Associate Professor

Polymer and Organic Chemistry

My training has been at the intersection of polymer and organic chemistry to design and improve novel materials for sensing toxic water contaminants. Additionally, I have experience in developing curriculum for organic laboratory courses and polymer outreach activities. My current interests lie in curriculum development for large introductory courses. I am committed to finding and implementing effective teaching methods that promote student engagement and develop their critical thinking skills.

Wayne State University, B. S., 2010; University of Michigan, Ph.D., 2016; University of Michigan, Postdoctoral Researcher/Lecturer, 2016-2017

Wei You

Professor of Chemistry and Applied Physical Sciences

Organic/Polymer Synthesis, Solar Cells, Molecular Electronics/Spintronics

Given the interdisciplinary nature of our research projects, it is rather difficult — and perhaps unnecessary — to put a specific label on individual projects. In terms of applications, we are researching solar cells, electronic/spintronic devices, dental/bone repair, and cancer curing, among others. Regarding materials we are actively developing include conjugated organic/polymers, biocompatible polymers, traditional polymers, and inorganic/organic hybrids. Our strengths are in chemistry, including design and synthesis of organic molecules and polymers, and also exploring new polymerization methodologies. Our mission is to apply innovative approaches to develop novel materials for various applications. You can visit our group website for more information and related publications

B.S., Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 1999; Ph.D., Organic/Polymer Chemistry, University of Chicago, 2004; Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University, 2004-2006; Excellent Student Fellowship, First Prize, from University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P. R. China, 1995; Panasonic Scholarship, 1996; P&G Scholarship, 1997; Excellent Student Fellowship, 1998; Excellent Thesis of USTC, 1999; Outstanding Leadership and Dedication, Consulate General of the People's Republic of China, 2002; Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research, American Chemical Society, 2004; DuPont Science and Engineering Grant, 2007-2008; DuPont Young Professor Award, 2008-2010; R.J. Reynolds Junior Faculty Development Award, 2008-2009; NSF CAREER Award, 2010-2015; Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, 2011; Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2011; CAPA Distinguished Junior Faculty Award, 2012; Two publications were "the hottest research of 2011" by Thomas Reuters, 2012; One publication was selected as one of the top 9 articles out of 1300+ for "Best of Macromolecular Journals 2012" by Wiley, 2013; Ruth and Phillip Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement, 2013; Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, FRSC, 2017; “World Highly Cited Researchers” by Web of Science Group, 2019; Nano Research Young Innovator Award in Nanoenergy, Springer, 2019.

The You Group focuses on the synthesis and characterization of novel multifunctional materials for a variety of applications, predominately in electronics and photonics. Our approaches are truly interdisciplinary, interfacing chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering. Students and postdoctoral fellows in the group are exposed to and trained in organic and polymer synthesis, surface chemistry, nano-patterning, device fabrication and physical properties characterization using state-of-the-art instrumentation.