About the Speaker:

Bio:

Zachary T. Ball grew up in Columbus, OH. He graduated from Harvard University in 1999, earning an A.B. in Chemistry and working on problems of solid-phase synthesis of small-molecule libraries in Gregory L. Verdine’s laboratory. Zachary earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University in 2004. His graduate research focused on ruthenium catalysis and methods for preparation and exploitation of organosilanes in synthesis.

During the years 2004–2006, Zachary was a Miller Fellow at the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science at the University of California–Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he applied synthetic organic chemistry to complex challenges in photo- and electro-active polymers, probing the ways in which molecular structure, polymer polydispersity, and phase behavior affect device performance.

Zachary moved to Houston in 2006 to begin his independent career on the faculty at Rice University.

Research Interests:

Zachary’s research interests center around the intersection of protein chemistry and transition-metal catalysis. Drawing from organic, biological, and inorganic chemistry concepts, the lab has developed a number of conceptually novel methods for specific protein modification with transition-metal catalysts and/or reagents. He is particularly interested in protein chemistry and the design of catalytic reactions for selective transformation of protein substrates.

https://ztb.rice.edu/