Faculty Engaged in Transformative Research

The more than 130 faculty in the College of Chemical and Life Sciences share a deep commitment to both research and teaching. Faculty members enthusiastically share their experiences in the world of science and their understanding of the process of scientific discovery with their students.  

Plasticity and the Adult Brain

Neuroscientists Hey-Kyoung Lee and Elizabeth Quinlan in the Department of Biology explore the way brain responds to sensory stimulation and stores memory. Normally, the ability of the brain to adapt to changes in sensory experience declines with age and disease; for example, Alzheimer's disease.  This makes developing methods for recovery of function in adulthood difficult.  The work of Lee and Quinlan is laying the foundation to advance our understanding of brain function recovery. 

The success of the college’s faculty has been recognized through publications in the highest quality journals, invitations to speak at major international meetings, national and international honors, and awards of major federal and foundation grants.

Great Expectations will transform the College of Chemical and Life Sciences into a truly great college by providing endowed chairs and endowed professorships. Endowed chairs and professorships will enable the college to recruit outstanding faculty at all levels and retain senior faculty who have built internationally recognized research programs at Maryland. These professorships provide secure long term funding that enable faculty to do “high risk, high return” research that in turn raises the national and international reputation of the University 

Nanotechology  for Medicine

John Fourkas (pictured at left), professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is exploring the world of microscopic machines that perform tasks from deploying airbags to operating cell phones.  Although the constuction of this tiny three-dimensional machines has been limited to plastics, Fourkas and his research team have started incorporating different materials, including metals.  He believes that microtechnology will one day revolutionize medicine in delivering medicine to places in the body like interior blood vessels.

Regulating the Autoimmune Response

David Mosser (pictured at right), professor of cell biology and molecular genetics and founder of the Maryland Pathogen Research Institute (MPRI),  studies inflammation and autoimmunity.  He hopes to one day discover cures for autoimmune disorders like rhematoid arthristis, septic shock and inflammatory bowl disease by understanding how cells respond to specific signals at the molecular level.