Inorganic Chemistry Seminar: Professor Lisa Olshansky, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
About the Seminar
Emergent Properties from Dynamicity: Investigating Conformational Control in Bioinorganic Model Systems
From the reduction of dinitrogen to the oxidation of water, the chemical transformations catalyzed by metalloenzymes underpin global geo- and biochemical cycles. These reactions represent some of the most kinetically and thermodynamically challenging processes known. Interestingly, rate-limiting conformational changes precede catalysis in many metalloenzymes. The pervasiveness of this mechanistic pattern suggests that conformational gating may play an important role in mediating challenging chemical transformations in an energy-efficient manner. However, these enzymes are extremely complex, rendering direct examination of their conformational gating steps a tremendous challenge. Instead, we have taken the unique approach of preparing model systems in which macroscopic changes in the molecular structure of a ligand or protein host give rise to subatomic changes in the electronic structure of a bound metal ion. These systems include both conformationally dynamic coordination complexes and conformationally switchable artificial metalloproteins. In both cases, exciting new properties have emerged from the structural dynamicity at play. Ultimately, our work with these systems aims to define and quantify the kinetic and thermodynamic consequences of conformational gating mechanisms. Additionally, the systems under development are molecular switches and can also be exploited in applications ranging from solar energy conversion, to biomedical imaging, to green methods in chemical catalysis.
About the Speaker
After earning her B.S. in Chemistry from UC San Diego in 2009, Dr. Lisa Olshansky completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry at MIT in 2015 as an NSF and Presidential fellow under the mentorship of Profs. Daniel Nocera and JoAnne Stubbe. She then went on to work with Prof. Andy Borovik at UC Irvine as an ACS Irving S. Sigal Postdoctoral fellow. In 2018, Lisa began her independent career as an Assistant Prof. of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where her team is working to mimic and exploit mechanisms for macroscopic structural control over the properties of metallocofactors and complexes. During her early career, Olshansky has been recognized with Searle, Cottrell, and Vallee Scholars awards, Carver Trust and DOE Young Investigator awards, and an NIH Early Stage Investigator award. Olshansky was recently named an NAS Kavli Fellow and received the Paul Saltman Young Investigator Award for her research on Metals in Biology. Finally, since joining the faculty at Illinois, Olshansky has spearheaded an initiative called C2 that aims to foster inclusivity and diversity in the School of Chemical Sciences.