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College of Arts and Science faculty members Nathan Schley, Allison Walker, and John Yang have each been awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health to continue their groundbreaking chemistry research. Known as the Maximizing Investigators\u2019 Research Award (MIRA), these grants provide both new and established researchers of general medical sciences with more than $1.9 million each over a five-year period.<\/p>\n
All three faculty members are conducting big-picture research with practical applications in a variety of health contexts\u2014including drug synthesis, biomolecular conversion, and disease treatment. The grant funding runs from July 2022 until April 2027, with the express purpose of \u201cproviding investigators with greater stability and flexibility, thereby enhancing scientific productivity and the chances for important breakthroughs,\u201d per the\u00a0NIH<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nathan Schley<\/a>, associate professor of chemistry, has been researching organometallic chemistry, or the study of metal-carbon bonds and their practical applications in areas like fuel, solvents, and health. Schley said he plans to use the grant funding to further investigate methods of transforming molecular catalysts.<\/p>\n Schley and his team in the\u00a0Schley Research Group<\/a>\u00a0seek a more cost-effective system of converting compounds found in diesel fuel and some face washes, which will in turn enhance our understanding of these molecular compounds and could ultimately benefit our health.<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0Allison Walker<\/a>, assistant professor of chemistry, applies machine learning to study the synthesis of small molecules known as natural products, which she expects will culminate in the discovery and\/or biosynthesis of new organic compounds that can be used to treat various human diseases.<\/p>\n Walker plans to utilize the MIRA grant to continue development of\u00a0her lab\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0machine learning systems, which currently examine large datasets and molecular simulations in the pursuit of therapeutically beneficial compounds. This involves algorithm design, protein research, and even experiments in directed evolution, all of which may result in the discovery of these novel compounds with innovative functions.<\/p>\n Zhongyue (John) Yang, assistant professor of chemistry, is interested in biomolecular design. His group is developing a high-throughput computational ecosystem known as Mutexa, which will eventually realize Yang\u2019s long-term goal of automatic enzyme design. Through integrating Mutexa and experimental tests,\u00a0Yang\u2019s lab<\/a>\u00a0seek to discover new enzymes that will help us recycle polymers, synthesize drugs, and even treat food allergies. His hope is that Mutexa becomes an industry-wide software that makes biomolecular design quick and easy.<\/p>\n Schley, Walker, and Yang\u2019s disparate research interests overlap in a few key ways. All three faculty members are chemistry innovators, bringing new perspectives and fresh research ideas to their field. Additionally, each award recipient\u2019s research has relevant and far-ranging practical applications in the real world, from synthesizing new pharmaceuticals and converting fuel compounds to making enzyme studies more accessible to the general public.<\/p>\n \u201cThe funding of three MIRA awards is an incredible accomplishment,\u201d said John McLean, Stevenson Professor of Chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry. \u201cThe research programs honored with this distinction are so well-deserving. These prestigious awards underscore the vibrant and intellectually engaging research of our faculty for the benefit of society and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n