John C. Conboy

John C. Conboy is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah. His research focuses on the structure and dynamics of lipid membranes, utilizing advanced spectroscopic techniques like sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS) and second-harmonic generation (SHG) to explore interfacial phenomena in biological systems.

• Education: B.S. (University of California, Davis, 1991), Ph.D. (University of Oregon, 1996), NIH Postdoctoral Fellow (University of Arizona, 1998-2000)

His work addresses fundamental questions in membrane biology, including lipid flip-flop, electrostatic interactions, and the influence of ions and peptides on membrane asymmetry. He has developed novel label-free detection methods for studying drug-membrane interactions and protein binding.

Key themes in his research include:

• Lipid bilayer dynamics and asymmetry
• Nonlinear optical spectroscopy applications
• Role of cholesterol and ions in membrane behavior
• Design of synthetic membrane mimics
• Interfacial tension and electrochemistry

Scientific Awards:

• NIH Postdoctoral Fellow