Research labs at University of South Carolina-Columbia .

Chuanbing Tang Research Group

Sustainable polymersBioplasticsAntimicrobial materials

Chuanbing Tang · Carolina Distinguished Professor

Chuanbing Tang’s group designs polymers for sustainability, energy, and antimicrobial applications. Research develops biobased plastics from renewable resources and investigates how molecular engineering can improve their thermal and mechanical properties. Metal-containing polymers support other directions, including membranes for alkaline fuel cells and materials that respond to mechanical stimuli. Antimicrobial molecules and polymers are explored as ways to strengthen or extend antibiotic activity against resistant bacteria. The work connects controlled polymer synthesis with practical material challenges, bringing renewable feedstocks and functional molecular design into the same research program.

FWIndependently curated · Unclaimed

F. Wayne Outten Research Group

Iron-sulfur clustersMicrobial metal metabolismStress responses

F. Wayne Outten · Guy F. Lipscomb Sr. Professor of Biochemistry

Wayne Outten investigates how bacteria handle essential metals without being harmed by them. A major focus is the assembly of iron–sulfur clusters, protein cofactors needed for processes such as respiration, metabolism, and DNA repair. The group studies how the Suf pathway builds these clusters during iron starvation and oxidative stress, using Escherichia coli as a model. Other questions concern metal acquisition, transport, storage, and regulation. The research connects biochemistry and microbial genetics with the possibility of disrupting metal-dependent processes that bacterial pathogens need to survive.

LSIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Linda S. Shimizu Research Group

Supramolecular chemistrySelf-assemblyOrganic photochemistry

Linda S. Shimizu · Professor

Linda Shimizu studies how small molecules organize themselves into larger functional structures. Her supramolecular chemistry uses noncovalent urea interactions and bis-urea macrocycles to build predictable assemblies and crystalline materials. Research connects molecular shape and interaction with properties such as light response, conductivity, and transport through confined environments. Organic synthesis, photochemistry, and crystal engineering are central parts of the approach. By drawing inspiration from biological self-assembly while controlling synthetic building blocks, the group investigates how ordered molecular structures can become useful materials with deliberately chosen behaviors.

QWIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Qian Wang Research Group

BioconjugationVirus nanoparticlesBiomaterials

Qian Wang · Carolina Distinguished Professor

Qian Wang’s research connects bioconjugation chemistry with biomedical materials and nanoscale biological structures. One direction modifies and uses virus nanoparticles, treating their organized scaffolds as platforms that can be chemically engineered for new functions. Work also investigates virus-based scaffolds for immunotherapy. These projects bring organic chemistry, biology, and material design together around the task of attaching useful molecular features to structured biological objects. The program offers a connection between molecular modification and biomedical applications, exploring how naturally organized nanoscale systems can be repurposed through chemical design.

SDIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Susan D. Richardson Research Group

Water contaminantsMass spectrometryDisinfection by-products

Susan D. Richardson · Arthur Sease Williams Professor of Chemistry

Susan Richardson investigates chemicals in water that can be difficult to identify and measure. Her environmental analytical chemistry research includes drinking-water disinfection by-products, PFAS, microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and other emerging contaminants. Mass spectrometry and new analytical methods support questions about chemical exposure, while additional work examines removal technologies and how algae affect drinking water and human health. The program connects precise chemical measurement with environmental treatment challenges. It is relevant to understanding what conventional monitoring may miss and how analytical advances can inform cleaner water systems.