Dr. Carmen Scholz Professor, Chemistry Department Biography Research concentrates on the synthesis of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers. We synthesize block copolymers consisting of poly(ethylene) glycol and various poly(amino acid)s and investigate them for biomedically relevant applications. PEGylated poly(amino acid)s with poly(L-Lysine) repeat units are currently under investigation for gene delivery systems and PEGylated poly(amino acid)s with poly(L-Cysteine) repeat units are investigated for the surface modification of (electrically active) implants. Dr. Carmen Scholz's CV We synthesize poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s, PHAs, with terminal side chain functional groups by bacterial fermentation and perform polymer-analogous reactions on these functionalized PHAs. PHAs are used for various biomedical applications; decorating them with bioactive moieties broadens their versatility and may unseal new usages. Our most recent research endeavor concentrates on the bacterial fermentation of crude, i.e. as received from the biodiesel industry, glycerol to yield butanol, a potential fuel additive, which has many advantages over the current, more hydrophilic ethanol additive. Research Assistant at the University of Dresden, Germany 1987-92 Postdoc in Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 1992-94 Research Scientist at the International Center for Biomaterials Sciences, Noda, Japan, 1994-96 Research Associate in Chemistry, Univ. of Massachusetts, 1996-98 Assistant Professor, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 1998-2004 Associate Professor, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 2004-2009 Professor, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 2009 Education Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Technology, Dresden, Germany, 1991 M.S., Polymer Chemistry, University of Technology, Dresden, Germany, 1987 Classes Taught CH 440 - Polymer Synthesis and Characterization CH 493 - Intro to Chemical Research CH 500 - Topics in Chemistry CH 540 - Polymer Synthesis and Characterization CH 640 - Polymer Physical Chemistry CH 700 - Current Topics in Chemistry Publications Slomkowski, S., Fellows, C.M., Hiorns, R.C., Jones, R.G., Kubisa, P., Luscombe, C.K., Nakano, T., Russel, G.T., dos Santos, C.G., Scholz, C., Stingelin, N., Walter, M. “List of keywords for polymer science” Pure Appl. Chem. 2019, 91 (6), 997-1027 Nkrumah-Agyeefi, S., Pella, B.J., Singh, N., Mukherjee, A., Scholz, C. “Modification of polyhydroxyalkanoates: evaluation of the effectiveness of novel copper (II) catalysts in click chemistry” Internat. J. Biolog. Macromolec. 2019, 128, 376-384 Ulkoski, D., Scholz, C. “Impact of Cationic Charge Density and PEGylated Poly(amino acid) Tercopolymer Architecture on their use as Gene Delivery Vehicles. Part 2: DNA protection, Stability, Cytotoxicity, and Transfection Efficiency." Macromolecular Bioscience, 2018, 18, 1800109 https://doi.org/10.1002/mabi.201800108