معرفی
Andy Nguyen is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he leads research at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, and bioinspired design. His work focuses on developing peptides and sequence-defined oligomers to create evolvable catalysts, porous frameworks, and supramolecular structures that mimic natural biomolecular complexity and functionality.
- University: University of Illinois at Chicago
- Department: Chemistry
- Academic Rank: Assistant Professor
Research Interests
Nguyen’s research emphasizes biomimetic materials and multimetallic clusters for catalysis, particularly in water oxidation and energy conversion. His group explores supramolecular cooperativity in stimuli-responsive systems, self-assembly of π-conjugated peptides, and excision of metalloenzyme active sites into crystalline frameworks for mechanistic studies. Key themes include:
- Designing porous peptide frameworks for catalysis and separation
- Engineering sequence-defined peptoids to evolve synthetic catalysts
- Replicating metalloprotein active sites via peptide crystallization
Scientific Awards
- NSF CAREER Award (2025) for designing protein-like materials from π-conjugated peptides
Publications Overview
Nguyen’s 2025 work includes stabilization strategies for metalloproteins and π-conjugated peptide assemblies. Recent 2024 studies explore metal-triggered β-hairpin restructuring, proteomimetic pore engineering, and hydrogen-bonded frameworks. 2022–2023 publications highlight secondary sphere evolution in metallocatalysts and noncovalent thiol frameworks. Earlier work (2019–2017) focused on Co4O4 cubane catalysts, multimetallic clusters, and nitrene transfer catalysis.
Education
- PhD (2016), University of California, Berkeley
- BS (2010), University of California, Irvine
- Postdoctoral Research, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
