Polymer Chemistry Blog

David M. Lynn received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of South Carolina in 1994 and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Caltech in 1999, where he worked under the supervision of Professor Robert H. Grubbs. After a postdoctoral stint at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Professor Robert Langer, he joined the faculty in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2002. His current interests include the design of functional polymers, macromolecular assemblies, and surfaces/interfaces, with a particular focus on the development of new materials platforms that address problems of biomedical and biotechnological importance.

Please follow the link for further information on David’s research group and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.

What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

That’s a good question – I guess it’s worth it every once in a while to stop and think about how you got to where you are. I started out as a biology major in college and jumped ship to chemistry after my first taste of organic chemistry. My first real push in the direction of polymer chemistry came through a summer research experience with Harry Gibson at Virginia Tech. Looking back I’m not sure that I accomplished very much that summer (sorry, Harry!), but I had a lot of fun – and if it weren’t for the fun parts I’m not sure I’d have continued down this path.

What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper?

Well, this paper is a review article, so our first objective here was of course to try to provide a comprehensive overview and analysis of research on azlactone-functionalized polymers and materials. There’s been quite a bit of work going on in this area by many different groups over the last decade, and hopefully this review will contribute to a growing awareness of it. My own interest in these reactive polymers is motivated by many things (read the review!), but all of our current efforts grew out of some interactions a few years ago with Steve Hielmann at 3M. Steve was the first person to bring azlactone chemistry to my attention, and he and his colleagues have been very supportive along the way.

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?

This was an invited review, so the choice was easy in this case. But we’ve had our eye on the journal from the outset – it has certainly come a long way in a very short amount of time.

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

I’ve got a new baby coming in January, so I’ve tried to reduce travel for a bit. But I already know I’ll be at the World Biomaterials Congress in China in June and the Controlled Release Society meeting in Quebec in July.

How do you spend your spare time?

I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I try to ride my bike as often and as far as I can when I do. I guess it depends on what you like, but southwestern Wisconsin has an endless number of unbelievable roads and fantastic hilly terrain that makes for great riding – at for least for about seven months out of the year (it gets a bit cold here in the winter).

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

Good question. I need to think about a backup plan. Am I too old to be an astronaut?

Bradley Nilsson conducted PhD studies in organic chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison with Professor Ronald T. Raines studying methodology for the chemoselective ligation of peptides. He subsequently completed postdoctoral research in synthetic organic chemistry with Professor Larry E. Overman at the University of California, Irvine. He joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Rochester in 2006. The Nilsson group is interested in molecular recognition and self-assembly phenomena of peptides and proteins leading to amyloid and in the development of amyloid-inspired materials and therapeutics.

Please follow the link for further information on Bradley’s research group and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.

What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

My decision to become a chemist was a direct result of engaging in undergraduate research. As an undergraduate at Brigham Young University I was initially a molecular biology major. I enjoyed my classes in organic chemistry and found an opportunity to work with Professor Steve Fleming conducting research in organic photochemistry. I fell in love with research and decided to pursue graduate studies in chemistry. The creative opportunity to study problems at the edge of our collective knowledge was very exciting to me. I found the study of chemical reactivity and molecular recognition particularly seductive, thus leading to my emphasis in organic chemistry.

What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper?

Our article is a critical review of the self-assembly and hydrogelation behavior of simple amino acid and dipeptide derivatives. There is a growing body of work describing the emergent hydrogel properties of noncovalent polymer assemblies of these simple organic molecules. These hydrogels possess many of the characteristics of covalent polymers and have been applied to problems in ex vivo tissue engineering. However, the relationship between self-assembly and hydrogelation phenomena is still somewhat mysterious. As a result, the creation of new hydrogel materials relies largely on empirical approaches. The purpose of our review was to review recent work in this area as well as to suggest future avenues for research that will help bridge the gap between empiricism and rational design.

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?

Polymer Chemistry is an ideal journal for publication of this work due to the emphasis of the journal on supramolecular structure and function.

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

In the near future I plan to attend the Chemistry and Biology of Peptides Gordon Conference in Ventura, CA (February 2012).

How do you spend your spare times?

My postdoctoral research mentor once indicated that working adults probably have time for two serious hobbies in their life. He advised that for people seeking academic employment in chemistry, one of these hobbies should be chemistry. My wife and I have four young children who range from 4-13 years in age. My second hobby (and the rest of my “spare” time) revolves around time with family.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

My dream professions outside science would be as a guitarist in a working rock band (reflecting my interests in music) or as a professional hockey player (reflecting my Canadian birthright). That’s not to say I’m qualified to do either (I’m not), but if I’m dreaming, those “jobs” seem particularly interesting.

Dr Alexander N. Zelikin has joined the Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University as an Assistant Professor in Medicinal Chemistry in December 2009. Prior to this, he received a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from Moscow State University under supervision of Prof. Vladimir A. Izumrudov (2003), worked with Prof. Robert Langer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later with Prof. David Putnam at Cornell University. He then joined the University of Melbourne and in 2006 was awarded an ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship and Discovery Grant toward the development of polymer hydrogel capsules as drug carriers and vessels for cell mimicry. In Aarhus, Dr. Zelikin established and leads an interdisciplinary laboratory for Medicinal Polymer Chemistry with current research activities in polymer therapeutics, antiviral research, physical hydrogels, and surface mediated drug delivery.  Dr. Zelikin co-authored over 60 peer reviewed publications; in 2010, Dr. Zelikin received a ‘‘Sapere Aude’’ Career Award from the Danish National Research Council (DFF); his lab currently receives research funding from the Lundbeck Foundation and DFF.

Please follow the link for further information on Alexander’s research group and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.

What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

The idea that only your imagination is your limit drove me to science. Why chemistry? Suppose it was mostly luck. I really think I would have enjoyed being a scientist in just about any discipline.

What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper?

My group is actively expanding into the area of physical hydrogels and we needed to make good polymers. Remarkably, in the preceding decades this has not been accomplished for PVA, so we had to start from the very beginning.

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?

Polymer Chemistry has made an astonishing start as a new forum and we (polymer chemists) already see it as a prestigious journal to publish in. Plus – it also has a friendly feel to it, which helps!

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

I am definitely going to Hobart for the Australasian Polymer Symposium (February 2012). I miss Australia heaps, and miss Australian polymer community greatly.

How do you spend your spare times?

First of all, my new born son takes good care of my spare time and it will likely stay this way for quite a while. I used to, and will definitely do so again, walk, hike, travel, camp out and move around the world as much as I could. For me, the worst day outdoors is better than the best day between four walls.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

I wished to be a clown, a jester, a singer… Now that I have a son, I get to be all that! So you see, my life desires are fast becoming reality. But seriously – travelling. May not be a profession, but that’s what I’d do.

Please follow the link for further information on Umit’s research group and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.

 What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

Actually, I was graduated from Chemical Engineering Department of Istanbul Technical University (BSc). Later, I preferred to study polymer chemistry in my MSc thesis. It is only coincidence.

What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper?

I have sent an e-mail to Prof. Barner-Kowollik for collaboration on writing a review paper on the click chemistry. He accepted my offer, however he hesitated that too many review papers have been in literature by now on the popular click chemistry. Later, we have decided that it would have been a good chance to write a review paper compassing both star polymers and click chemistry.  

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?

Polymer Chemistry is a new journal of the RSC in polymer chemistry area and will probably has an impact factor over at least 4 in an early of 2012.  

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

I do not like conferences very much. This is why  I am getting very excited in front of the people.

How do you spend your spare times?

Spare times really mean empty times. I do nothing at those times.   

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

I have no idea about that. I like yachting and boating.

Michael Whittaker was born in 1964 in Bellingen; a small rural beach-side town in Australia. After graduating from the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) with 1^st class Honours he spent 8 years as an environmental scientist in a variety of industry positions. He received his Ph-D in polymer chemistry in 2000 from the University of Queensland for work investigating the molecular dynamics in swollen polymer networks using solid state NMR relaxation mechanisms.

In 2001 he joined Bio-Layer Pty Ltd as a Senior Research Scientist where he developed methodologies for the modification, synthesis and assembly of polymer interfaces to preferentially orientate antibodies. During this period he also held an adjunct lecturer position within the University of New South Wales. In 2006, he joined the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) as Senior Research Fellow. During this appointment he published and patented novel strategies for the modular synthesis of water soluble polymers and polymeric nanoparticles for the delivery of drug and siRNA therapeutics. He also led a team which explored the synthesis of novel complex polymer architectures using new applications of  ”click” chemistries.

Since October 2008 he is the Research Manager for both the Centre of Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and the Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN), University of New South Wales. The IP he has generated during his career has contributed to the formation of two spinout companies, Dendrimed Pty Ltd and MetalloTek Pty Ltd. The MetalloTek X3 particle technology developed with University of Queensland collaborators for contaminated land rehabilitation was recently acknowledged with an “Excellence in environmental management” award, at the 2011 Australian Mining Awards.

He has co-authored over 55 peer-reviewed research papers including 6 international patents in a diverse range of areas; Toxicology of nanoparticles, Synthesis of “SMART” hybrid inorganic/organic nano-materials, New applications of polymerization methods in polymer design, Polymers for environmental remediation, and Novel applications of “click” chemistry in polymer synthesis.

Please follow the link for further information on Mikey’s research group and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.

What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

I remember getting for Christmas one year a “Junior Chemistry Set” and I guess that inspired my initial interest in Chemistry. I should add that I still have some bad habits formed at this early age; taking particular delight in causing explosive foaming and/or loud bangs!

What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper?

As with most polymer scientists, my co-authors and I have over our careers struggled with block polymer synthesis. In consideration of this we had been watching with some interest the evolution of work by both Percec and Haddleton, which was producing polymers via metal catalysed LFRP with very high end-group fidelity. It seemed to us that this technique would be ideally suited to this problem and would afford a new approach where monomer conversion could be effectively ignored in block polymer formation. Fortunately the results were even more positive than we had hoped.

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?

I have always been inspired by the work of Dave Haddleton and the other editors of the journal, so when I heard about Polymer Chemistry I knew that its success was assured. The combination of synthetic and biological macromolecular science uniquely reflects current trends in my area of research so it was a very easy decision to publish this work here.

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

The coming year will be somewhat busy with the Australian Polymer Symposium (Hobart-February), ACS Spring Meeting (San Diego- March), 3^rd Australian Nanomedicine Conference (Sydney-July) and you cannot miss the Trivial Pursuit night at Warwick 2012 (Coventry-July).

How do you spend your spare times?

Spare time? I still really enjoy working in the lab and most weekends will find me at the bench trying another crazy idea. As often as possible I take a weekend off at our family farm in Coffs Harbour; a coastal town about 5 hours drive north from Sydney. I must admit however, that on most Sunday afternoons at 3pm you will find me lying on Coogee Beach in the sun.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

That’s a hard one! I love to cook, so I probably would have become a chef. My friends would argue against this.

Yusuf Yagci is a full professor of Chemistry at Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. He received his Masters (1977) and Ph.D. (1979) degree from Liverpool University (UK). He has published about 400 original research papers in different peer-reviewed international journals. Professor Yagci has supervised more than 70 Ph.D. and M.Sc. students. He serves as member of the editorial board of many international journals. He is the recipient of several awards including the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (Tubitak) Young Investigator Award (1989), Tubitak Science Award (1994), Turkish Chemical Society Honorary Member Award (2002), The Society of Polymer Science, Japan (SPSJ) InternationalAward (2008), the Elginkan Foundation Technology Award (2008) and  Comstech (Islamic Countries Technology Council) Science Award (2010). He is also a full member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (1997). His research interests involve synthesis of complex macromolecular structures, photopolymerization, controlled/living polymerization methods, high performance thermosets.

Please follow the links for further information on Yusuf’s research group and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.

What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

My father. I was not a good student during my high school education. I failed to pass the final exams in Chemistry, English and History and had to wait for a year without going to the school to get acceptable marks. Then, I wanted to study Pharmacology in order to have more free time after the education to play soccer, to listen to music and for other social activities. However, my father insisted to study Chemical Engineering and otherwise he would have not supported financially. The selection of polymer chemistry also happened accidentally. While I was attending to a language course in Cambridge, one of my friends asked to accompany him for visiting Liverpool University. After meeting Prof. Bamford and Prof. Ledwith there, I decided to continue my further studies at Liverpool University. Eventually, I completed both MSc and PhD studies under their supervision. This period was a very fortunate time of my educational life. I learned a lot from Prof. Ledwith and found out that I follow his research strategy without paying too much attention that time.

What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper?

Besides our strong interest in photoinitiating systems and high performance thermoset polymers, we focus on the synthesis of complex macromolecular architectures using controlled/living polymerization and various coupling processes. I am a lucky scientist because I have brilliant students. While discussing on our mutual interest, one of my Ph.D students, Gorkem Yilmaz suggested to combine all existing click reactions to form miktoarm star copolymers. It worked out well and we believe the concept we describe will be an important contribution to synthetic polymer chemistry.

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?

When “Polymer Chemistry” started to be published, I hesitated to submit any paper as its value in the community was not clear. Soon after, it took its place among the high ranking journals particularly in the field of synthetic polymer chemistry.

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

International Symposium on Polymers for Advanced Tehnologies (Poland). Thailand Polymer Congress, Thailand, Pacific Polymer Congress (South Korea), World Polymer Congress (USA) and so on.

How do you spend your spare times?

Playing soccer, tennis, table tennis, squash, and singing. Basically enjoying the life.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

I would choose to be a soccer player.

Julien Poly received chemistry diplomas from “Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan” and “Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris”. He obtained his PhD in polymer chemistry in 2008 from the University of Bordeaux, where he studied the synthesis of nanogels by controlled radical crosslinking copolymerization under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Taton. In 2009, he was appointed as assistant professor at the University of Haute-Alsace. He joined the CNRS institute IS2M, where he is now developing macromolecular synthesis for surface engineering.

Please follow the link to get more information on Julien’s research institute and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.

What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

I was first of all interested in sciences in general, but like many others, I was mainly attracted to chemistry thanks to excellent teachers and to fascinating experiments. The learning then of some of the elegant theories governing chemistry definitely convinced me to become a chemist.

What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper? (DOI: 10.1039/c1py00231g)

My research activities concern principally the synthesis of branched or crosslinked polymers by controlled radical polymerizations. I wanted to develop a new strategy for the synthesis of well-defined branched poly(vinyl acetate)s, which are commonly used polymers, by combining the concept of SCVP with a xanthate-mediated RAFT mechanism. I appealed to the skills of Dr. Nicolas Blanchard in organic chemistry for the preliminary synthesis of the original polymerizable xanthate, which was a little bit tricky.

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?

Polymer Chemistry has become one of the top journals in Polymer Science, with a particular focus on synthetic aspects. This was therefore an ideal place to publish this work. Additionally, I appreciated the publication process, which was especially efficient.

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

I will attend the Aquitaine Polymer Conference in Arcachon, France in October. I will be then at the Pacific Polymer Conference in Jeju, South Korea in November, where I will present the results from this paper.

How do you spend your spare times?

I often do do-it-yourself or restore secondhand goods. More usually, I enjoy reading, cooking, swimming and travelling.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

I might have been a cabinetmaker or an antique dealer. Being a gastronomic critic would have been another pleasant profession too!