Anthony R. Perez

Anthony R. Perez is a researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Merced. His work focuses on coiled coil peptide design, molecular dynamics simulations, and protein self-assembly for nanomaterials. Collaborating with colleagues like Yumie Lee, Michael E. Colvin, and Andrea D. Merg, he investigates how interhelical hydrogen bonding networks and electrostatic interactions influence dimer stability.

• Institution: University of California, Merced
• Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Research Themes: protein design, computational biology, coiled coil stability, molecular dynamics

Recent studies highlight his development of "minimalistic" orthogonal coiled coil heterodimers using Asn-Asn′ hydrogen bonds and E@ g -N@ a interactions to enhance thermal stability. These findings expand design rules for programmable protein architectures with applications in nanomedicine and biomaterials. His work combines experimental validation (circular dichroism, Ni-NTA assays) with computational analysis to guide future peptide engineering.

He has received support from the NSF-CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines at UC Merced and collaborates with computational infrastructure at the Pinnacles cluster. His research also intersects with broader ecological topics, as seen in publications about microbial community dynamics, fire-affected ecosystems, and methane cycling in aquatic systems.