Using the power of chemistry to study living systems and treat disease
This is a two-day intensive course covering biomolecule synthesis and modification, bioinorganic chemistry, cutting-edge imaging techniques, and key mechanisms of modern drug action. Each segment of the course will feature an in-depth discussion of the organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry fundamentals that govern the function of biological molecules. This information will be then be used as a platform to understand cutting-edge techniques, technologies, and treatments in the field. This is an intensive certificate program course; it has open enrollment, and there are no prerequisites.
Christopher J. Chang, Professor of Chemistry
Professor Chang is the Class of 1942 Chair Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Molecular & Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. He is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, a Faculty Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and a Senior Editor of ACS Central Science. Professor Chang received his BS and MS from Caltech in 1997, was a Fulbright scholar in Strasbourg, France, and received his PhD from MIT in 2002 with Dan Nocera. After postdoctoral studies with Steve Lippard, he joined UC Berkeley in 2004. His research is focused on chemical biology and inorganic chemistry, with interests in molecular imaging and catalysis applied to neuroscience and sustainable energy. He has received awards from the Dreyfus, Beckman, Sloan, and Packard Foundations, Amgen, AstraZeneca, and Novartis, Technology Review, SBIC, ACS (Cope Scholar, Eli Lilly, Nobel Laureate Signature, Baekeland), and RSC (Transition Metal Chemistry). Most recently, he was named the 2015 Blavatnik Laureate in Chemistry.
Matthew B. Francis, Professor of Chemistry
Professor Francis received his PhD from Harvard University, working in the lab of Professor Eric Jacobsen. He started his independent career in the UC Berkeley Chemistry Department in 2001 and has built a research program involving the development of new organic reactions for protein modification. These new chemical tools have then been used to modify biomolecular assemblies to prepare new materials for diagnostic imaging, wastewater treatment, and solar cell development. Over the years, Matt has received the Dreyfus Foundation New Faculty Award, an NSF Career Award, and a GlaxoSmithKline Young Investigator Award. He has also received the Departmental Teaching Award on three occasions, the Noyce Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the 2009 University-wide Distinguished Teaching Award. In addition, he is the Executive Associate Dean of the College of Chemistry, a Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and is the Acting Director of the Organic Nanostructures Facility at the Molecular Foundry.