LSU Chemistry Welcomes New Faculty Member Specializing in Advanced Solid-State NMR Techniques

The Louisiana State University Department of Chemistry welcomes Pu Duan, who will join the LSU faculty as an assistant professor of analytical chemistry starting this Fall 2024. Duan brings a wealth of knowledge in Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR), focusing on its application to complex biological and material systems.

Duan earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Fudan University in Shanghai, China, in 2014. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research under the mentorship of Professor Fuyou Li, focusing on multifunctional near-infrared probes based on upconversion nanoparticles.

Pursuing a passion for advanced analytical techniques, Duan continued his academic journey at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, where he earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2019 under the guidance of Professor Klaus Schmidt-Rohr. His doctoral research focused on developing and refining SSNMR techniques to quantitatively and selectively characterize disordered materials.

His work led to significant insights into polymer infiltration into metal-organic frameworks, the chemical structure of carbon nano threads, fluorophores in carbon dots, inhomogeneous mixing in pharmaceutical amorphous solid dispersions, and the hydrolysis of carbon coatings and cellulose catalysts, resulting in 31 co-authored publications. 

After completing his Ph.D., Duan joined Professor Mei Hong’s group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he applied biological SSNMR to study the structure of pathogenic amyloid fibrils and plant cell walls. He conducted high-resolution characterization of Tau filaments linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and identified crucial binding sites for imaging agents used in positron emission tomography (PET) diagnosis of AD. He also investigated the interactions of biopolymers in plant cell walls and provided a new understanding of the chemical changes in plant cell walls at different developmental stages. 

At LSU, Duan is interested in utilizing SSNMR to investigate bacterial biofilms. His research will focus on exploring the chemical composition, dynamics, and intermolecular interactions of major biofilm components, contributing to the understanding and developing strategies against biofilm-related infections.

We warmly welcome Assistant Professor Pu Duan to LSU and look forward to the significant advancements his research will bring to the fields of SSNMR and the broader understanding of complex biological and material systems.