Matthew Aronoff

Matthew Aronoff is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of New Mexico (UNM). His research focuses on chemical approaches to study post-translational modifications (PTMs) in proteins, leveraging organic synthesis and chemical biology to develop tools for understanding PTMs' roles in diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts (2003, St. John’s College), B.S. in Chemistry (2011, Fort Lewis College), Ph.D. in Chemistry (2015, University of Wisconsin–Madison), and completed a postdoc at ETH Zurich (2016–2022).

His work combines organic synthesis with cross-disciplinary techniques to create chemical tools for studying PTMs, including collagen-based probes and pH-responsive biomaterials. Key areas include imaging enzyme activity (e.g., lysyl oxidase) in tissue remodeling and developing bioorthogonal reactions for in vivo applications. His research bridges organic chemistry, biochemistry, and materials science to advance therapeutic strategies.

Publications highlight innovations in diazo chemistry, bioorthogonal reactions, and peptide engineering. Notable contributions include collagen peptide probes for disease modeling and pH-responsive materials for biomedical applications. Aronoff’s work emphasizes translational potential, aiming to translate chemical discoveries into diagnostic and therapeutic solutions.