Abby Knight

Our student org ACGS, @htkratochvil.bsky.social, and I launched a short form video challenge in UNC Chemistry to promote fun, accessible, and creative science communication!

Shout out to the Knight Group - they made three AWESOME videos in under 12 hours !🔥

🔗 www.instagram.com/knightgroup....

And for more exciting polymer content, check our Macromolecules neighbor featuring our newest postdoc, Kam!

It’s been a pleasure to support Supraja Chittari’s work developing this workflow. Congratulations to her and the team!

Inspired by metrics from bioinformatics, PRISM introduces visualization and quantitative comparison tools for stochastic polymer sequences, advancing data-directed analyses and the design of synthetic macromolecules.

PRISM fits experimental RAFT kinetics via numerical integration to extract reactivity ratios, then uses mechanism-specific stochastic simulations to generate sequence ensembles across alternating, gradient, block, and multiblock copolymer architectures.

Bottom-Up Simulation, Reconstruction, and Quantification of Macromolecule Sequences from Experimental Polymerizations Motivated by the canonical sequence–structure–function paradigm, tools to characterize chemical patterning in natural biomacromolecules, from proteins to nucleic acids, have grown exponentially in rec...

Understanding sequence–structure–function relationships is central in biology, but far less developed for synthetic macromolecules. We built PRISM (Polymer Rate Insights and Sequence Modeling), an integrated workflow linking polymerization kinetics to sequence descriptors.

🔗 doi.org/10.1021/acs....

Structure–Function Relationships in Sequence-Controlled Copolymers for Rare Earth Element Chelation The ability to tune material function through primary sequence is a defining feature of biological macromolecules, enabling precise control over structure and target interactions in complex aqueous en...

Bottom line: polymer sequence—not just chemistry—can be engineered to improve REE binding and even tune selectivity. That’s a powerful lever for designing better materials for separations, sensing, and catalysis.
Full paper: doi.org/10.1021/jacs...

We discovered that:
• More hydrophobic content improves binding by pushing water out of coordination sites
• Clustering hydrophobic + chelating monomers can match or beat more hydrophobic random polymers
• Gradient architectures balance binding strength and selectivity

We built a library of amphiphilic copolymers, varying chelating group density, hydrophobic monomer type, and sequence pattern (statistical, gradient, block), then tested their REE binding and selectivity.

table of contents image illustrating how polymer composition and sequence impact lanthanide binding

In biology, from DNA to enzymes, sequence controls function. In our most recent publication, Matt Bogen asked if we could do the same in synthetic polymers to isolate and separate rare earth elements.

Excited to share our new preprint, which was years in the making! chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
New reactions are typically developed by trial and error. How can we speed up this process? Read on to learn how we used DNA scaffolding to perform >500,000 parallel reactions on attomole scale.
1/n

Lastly, one of my favorite memories in this position is my (then) two year old telling my husband about my department's tenure vote last fall. I am better at my job with them and my littlest by my side.

This promotion is an acknowledgement of each member of the Knight Group. From our three first undergraduates to our first seven PhDs - their hard work and creativity is the foundation of our research program. And I don't know what I'd do without their constant sass.

In all seriousness, I want to take a moment to acknowledge how grateful I am to all of the colleagues and mentors who have supported the Knight Group through providing instrumentation access, scientific guidance, laughter, and formal letters of support over the last seven years.

Years: 7
Students with graduate degrees: 8
Students with undergraduate degrees: 11
Group parties in a parking garage: 1
Rooms "escaped": 2
Matts: 3
Zoom meetings, shirts tie dyed, figures recolored: too many to count

One promotion. #associateprof

It is an honor to be selected as part of this year’s Talented 12 cohort! Thank you @cenmag.bsky.social for the feature, and of course, to everyone who has been part of my academic journey to date! 🥼🧪🎉

I'm excited to share that I'll be joining the Chemistry Department at Stony Brook University as a tenure-track Assistant Professor this fall! My group will use fundamental organic transformations to advance polymeric biomaterials. Check out jillalty.com for more information.

Another great job at my favorite university: UNC-Chapel, as new Director of the UNC Macromolecular Interactions Facility. Our outstanding Director is retiring. The Director is responsible for 1) core facility management, 2) training, & 3) graduate teaching 1/n
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/297...

Upon learning that yesterday would be my last day as a program officer at the National Science Foundation, I shared this parting message with my colleagues. The next few months will be frenetic and stressful for them. Here are some things that you can do to help them with the mission ahead. (1)

LAST CALL! We are seeking nominations for the @acspmse.bsky.social Early Investigator and Future Faculty Awards of the @acs.org. Please nominate a colleague before February 1:

#ACS #PMSE Early Investigator: pmsedivision.org/early-invest...
ACS PMSE Future Faculty: pmsedivision.org/pmse-future-...

Congrats to @megannjackson.bsky.social and her team!

Applications are now open for the NSF-supported Future Faculty Workshop in Soft Matter, to be hosted at UC Irvine @ucirvine.bsky.social on July 15-17! Please help us spread the word—mentee applications are accepted until March 31st: shorturl.at/grUek

We are looking for a postdoc to join the Knight Group! Interested in the interface of peptide and polymer chemistry with applications in therapeutics and nanomaterials? Send questions or an application with a cover letter, CV, and statement of previous research. #chempostdoc

www.knightgroupunc.org