Research labs at Boston College .

Dunwei Wang Research Group

Solar fuelsMaterials chemistryWater splitting

Dunwei Wang · Professor, Margaret & Thomas Vanderslice Chair

Turning sunlight into fuel requires materials that do more than absorb light. Wang’s group designs and synthesizes materials that also collect electrical charges efficiently and match the energy requirements of chemical reactions. Its research includes splitting water, using light to transform carbon dioxide, and developing materials for rechargeable batteries. By combining components and studying the interfaces between them, the group investigates how material structure controls energy conversion. The work connects fundamental materials chemistry with the challenge of storing renewable energy in useful chemical forms.

JGIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Gao Lab

Chemical biologyPeptide synthesisCell membranes

Jianmin Gao · Professor and Chairperson of Chemistry

Cell membranes create a chemical boundary that researchers can learn to recognize and manipulate. Gao’s group uses organic synthesis and chemical biology to develop peptides and related molecules that reproduce useful features of natural membrane proteins. Projects include molecules that form channels and compounds that recognize particular lipids. Studying these interactions helps uncover the chemical rules governing how proteins engage membranes. The group also explores how that knowledge could guide the development of antibiotic candidates and agents for imaging tumors, connecting molecular design with biological function.

BMIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Momeni Lab

Microbial communitiesSynthetic ecologyMathematical modeling

Babak Momeni · Associate Professor

A microbial community’s behavior depends on interactions between its members, not simply on which organisms are present. The Momeni Lab studies how those interactions create community functions. It compares simulated communities, engineered systems with defined interactions, and relatively simple natural communities. Quantitative experiments and mathematical models provide complementary ways to identify the relationships responsible for collective behavior. This research examines principles that could help researchers influence microbial communities in settings such as infection control, waste processing, and biofuel production, while keeping the focus on understanding the underlying biology.

MMIndependently curated · Unclaimed

The Meyer Lab

Noncoding RNAComparative genomicsTranscriptomics

Michelle Meyer · Professor, Associate Chair

Which RNA molecules regulate biology without providing instructions for making proteins? The Meyer Lab searches genome and transcriptome data for noncoding RNAs that remain poorly characterized. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics help the group discover candidates and trace how these molecules change across evolutionary history. It also develops ways to compare and cluster RNAs, examining how selection preserves regulatory features. Research spans computational biology, molecular evolution, and RNA and protein structure, linking large sequence datasets to questions about the evolution and conservation of gene regulation.

ZWIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Ziqiang Wang Research Group

Condensed matter theoryCorrelated electronsSuperconductivity

Ziqiang Wang · Professor of Physics

When electrons interact strongly, a material can develop collective properties that are difficult to explain by treating the particles independently. Wang studies the theory of correlated electron materials, including high temperature superconductors, cobaltates, and ruthenates. His research also addresses magnetism, heavy fermion systems, and quantum spin systems. Further interests include unconventional superconductivity, emergent electronic states, and phases with topological order. Work on quantum Hall systems and graphene extends these questions to mesoscopic materials, connecting theoretical descriptions of interacting electrons with the diverse states that quantum matter can support.