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Gregg Dieckmann

Gregg Dieckmann

Associate Professor - Chemistry and Biochemistry
 
972-883-2903
BE2324
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Professional Preparation

M.S - Chemistry
University of Michigan - 1995
Ph.D - Chemistry
University of Michigan - 1995
B.A - Chemistry
DePauw University - 1988
B.A - Computer Science
DePauw University - 1988

Research Areas

Research Description
Using an integrative approach, the Dieckmann Lab utilizes protein design to create simple model systems. These systems provide insights into the functioning of more complex biological systems, or yield new bio/nano hybrid materials. Projects include:

  • Bionanotechnology: designed protein motifs for the noncovalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes
  • Thiolate-rich Zn(II) sites and alkyl transfer: how does protein environment control Zn(II) reactivity
  • DNA-binding domains: probing the molecular basis of gene regulation and DNA repair

Publications

Samarajeewa, D.R.; Dieckmann, G.R.; Nielsen, S.O.; Musselman, I.H. “Modifying the Electronic Properties of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Designed Surfactant Peptides”, Nanoscale (2012) 4: 4544-4554. 2012 - Publication
Chiu, C.-C.; Maher, M.C.; Dieckmann, G.R.; Nielsen, S.O. “Molecular Dynamics Study of a Carbon Nanotube-Binding Reversible Cyclic Peptide”, ACSNano (2010) 4: 2539 - 2546. 2010 - Publication
Chiu, Chi-Cheng, Gregg R. Dieckmann, and Steven O. Nielsen. 2009. Role of Peptide-Peptide Interactions in Stabilizing Peptide-Wrapped Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: A Molecular Dynamics Study. Biopolymers: Peptide Science 92(3): 156-63. 2009 - Publication
Becraft, Eric J., Anton S. Klimenko, and Gregg R. Dieckmann. 2009. Influence of Alternating L-/D-Amino Acid Chiralities and Disulfide Bond Geometry on the Capacity of Cysteine-Containing Reversible Cyclic Peptides to Disperse Carbon Nanotubes. Biopolymers: Peptide Science 92(3): 212-21. 2009 - Publication
Xie, Hui, Eric J. Becraft, Ray H. Baughman, Alan B. Dalton, and Gregg R. Dieckmann. 2008. Ranking the Affinity of Aromatic Residues for Carbon Nanotubes by Using Designed Surfactant Peptides. Journal of Peptide Science, special issue Peptides in Nanotechnology 14(2): 139-51. 2008 - Publication
Chiu, Chi-Cheng, Gregg R. Dieckmann, and Steven O. Nielsen. 2008. Molecular Dynamics Study of a Nanotube-Binding Amphiphilic Helical Peptide at Different Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic Interfaces. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 112(51): 16326-33. 2008 - Publication
Nicolosi, Valeria, Helen Cathcart, Alan B. Dalton, Damian Aherne, Gregg R. Dieckmann, and Jonathan N. Coleman. 2008. Spontaneous Exfoliation of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes Dispersed Using a Designed Amphiphilic Peptide. Biomacromolecules 9(2): 598-602. 2008 - Publication
Chin Shook-Fong, Ray H. Baughman, Alan B. Dalton, Gregg R. Dieckmann, Rockford K. Draper, Carole Mikoryak, Inga H. Musselman, Vasiliki Z. Poenitzsch, Hui Xie, and Paul Pantano. 2007. Amphiphilic Helical Peptide Enhances the Uptake of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Living Cells. Experimental Biology and Medicine 232: 1236-44. 2007 - Publication

Awards

Faculty Teaching Award - School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics [2016]
Faculty Teaching Award - School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics [2011]

Appointments

Associate Head
The University of Texas at Dallas [2009–Present]
Associate Professor,
The University of Texas at Dallas [2005–Present]
Assistant Professor,
The University of Texas at Dallas [1999–2005]
Scientific Consultant
Tetra Tech, Inc., Pasadena, CA [1998–1999]
Postdoctoral Researcher,
University of Pennsylvania [1995–1999]
Graduate Research Assistant,
The University of Michigan [1992–1995]
Educational Software Developer / Administrator,
The University of Michigan [1989–1995]
Graduate Teaching Assistant,
The University of Michigan [1988–1992]

Projects

Metals in Biology
2001–2001 Dieckmann, Gregg R., Regan L. Reece, and Alfonso Ortiz. 2001. Modeling the Hg(II)-binding Site of the Metalloregulatory Protein MerR. Poster presentation at the Gordon esearch Conference: Metals in Biology, January 21-26, in Ventura, CA.
Noncovalent Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes Using Designed Amphiphilic Peptides
2004–2004 Dieckmann, Gregg R., Alfonso Ortiz-Acevedo, Hui Xie, Alan B. Dalton, Vasiliki Zorbas, Ray H. Baughman, Rockford K. Draper, and Inga H. Musselman. 2004. Noncovalent Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes Using Designed Amphiphilic Peptides. Poster presentation at the Gordon Research Conference: Nanostructure Fabrication, July 18-22, in Tilton, NH.
Monitoring Reactive Oxygen Species Dynamics from Human Epithelial-like Cells Exposed to Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes
2005–2005 Chin, Shook-Fong, Amy L. Smith, Ray H. Baughman, Gregg R. Dieckmann, Rockford K. Draper, Inga H. Musselman, and Paul Pantano. 2005. Monitoring Reactive Oxygen Species Dynamics from Human Epithelial-like Cells Exposed to Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes. Presentation at the American Chemical Society, Spring National Meeting, March 13, in Atlanta, GA.
Modulation of Metal-binding Affinities and Reactivity with Alkylating Agents through Engineered Changes in the Zinc Ribbon Protein L36
2004–2004 Dieckmann, Gregg R., Alfonso Ortiz-Acevedo, Harsha S. Kolla, and Matthew Junker. 2004. Modulation of Metal-binding Affinities and Reactivity with Alkylating Agents through Engineered Changes in the Zinc Ribbon Protein L36. Oral presentation at the American Chemical Society, Spring National Meeting: session Bioinorganic Chemistry, March 28-April 1, in Anaheim, CA.
Synthetic Models for MerR: Preparation of the First Waterstable and 3-Coordinate Mercury Thiolate Peptide
1995–1995 Dieckmann, Gregg R., Susan Heilman, Janet Kosinski, David L. Tierney, Lisa M. Utschig, Donald K. McRorie, Thomas V. O'Halloran, James E. Penner-Hahn, William F. DeGrado, and Vincent L. Pecoraro. 1995. Synthetic Models for MerR: Preparation of the First Waterstable and 3-Coordinate Mercury Thiolate Peptide. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, May, in San Francisco, CA. FASEB Journal, 9(6), A1351 - A1351 (1995).

Additional Information

Masters advisement/direction

1. Eric J. Becraft, awarded December 2008
Thesis: Cysteine-Based Reversible Cyclic Peptides for Carbon Nanotube Functionalization
2. Anton Klimenko, May 2008 - present
Project: (1) Use of alcohols for the modulation of nano-1 helicity, self association and interactions with SWNTs
(2) Modification of Reversible Cyclic Peptides for CNT Surface Patterning
3. Harsha S. Kolla, awarded December 2002
Thesis: Investigation of the Factors Affecting Reactivity of Thiolate-rich Zinc Sites in Proteins
4. Wenpeng Kou, left program January 2006
Project: Creation of Backbone-modified L36 Derivatives to Understand Protein-Metal Interactions
5. Jane H. Nguyen, awarded May 2007
Thesis: Alkyl-transfer Reactivity of Derivatives of the Protein L36
6. Alfonso Ortiz-Acevedo, awarded August 2001
Thesis: An Approach Toward Membrane Fusion Inhibition
7. James P. McVaugh, left program September 2008
Project: Incorporation of Aromaticity into Closeable Cyclic Peptides
8. Hui Xie, awarded August 2002
Thesis: Redesign and Characterization of β-Hairpins from Colicin-N

Chairing Professional Meeting Sessions
1. June 11, 2003, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ, Session "Biophysical Chemistry"
American Chemical Society, Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting

2. April 1, 2004, Anaheim, CA, Session "Environmental Chemistry"
American Chemical Society, Spring National Meeting
Doctoral advisement/direction

1. Kristine Danowski, left group Summer 2006
Project: Reversible Cyclic Peptides, Carbon Nanotubes, and Their Interactions with Living Cells
2. Kevin T. Greene, left program Fall 2003
Project: Use of Domain Fragmentation and Protein Design to Study Protein-Protein Interactions
3. Jane H. Nguyen, May 2007 - present
Project: (1) TEM/cryo-TEM of peptide/SWNT dispersions
(2) new amphiphilic periodicities for SWNT interactions
4. Alfonso Ortiz-Acevedo, awarded April 2008
Thesis: Understanding Peptide Interactions with Carbon Nanotubes
5. Hui Xie, awarded August 2005
Thesis: Understanding and Improving Peptide Non-covalent Solubilization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

News Articles

Chemistry, Literature Instructors Recognized for Classroom Excellence
Chemistry, Literature Instructors Recognized for Classroom Excellence
Two University of Texas at Dallas faculty members have earned The University of Texas System Board of Regents’ highest honor.
Dr. Gregg Dieckmann, associate professor of chemistry in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Dr. Peter Ingrao, clinical assistant professor of literature in the School of Arts and Humanities, are recipients of the 2018 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award (ROTA). They are among 27 ROTA winners from the UT System’s 14 academic and health institutions who will be recognized at a dinner Thursday, Aug. 9, in Austin. Each honoree receives $25,000.

Chemistry Prof Is Honored for Stirring Young Minds
Chemistry Prof Is Honored for Stirring Young Minds The School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics has honored Dr. Gregg Dieckmann with the 2010-2011 Outstanding Teaching Award for his efforts in encouraging students and creating a successful learning environment.

Dieckmann, associate professor of chemistry, said he appreciated the recognition from students and colleagues for something he loves doing. He has taught at UT Dallas for more than a decade.

Funding

Predicting, Testing, and Neutralizing Nanoparticle Toxicity
$120,000 - Semiconductor Research Corporation [2009–2010]
Nanotechnology in Cancer
$1,000,000 - Department of Defense, Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center [2008–2009]
Carbon Nanotubes in Cancer [one project of a program project entitled "Interdisciplinary Studies on the Combat Readiness and Health Issues Faced by Military Personnel", S. R. Goodman, PI]
$210,000 - Department of Defense, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity [2007–2008]
Peptide-coated Nanotubes: Toxicity and Targeted Cell Ablation
$1,050,000 - Human Frontier Science Program: Young investigators Grant [2005–2008]
Investigation of the Factors Affecting Reactivity of Thiolate-rich Zn(II) Sites in Proteins Gregg R. Dieckmann (PI)
$80,000 - The American Chemical Society: The Petroleum Research Fund (type AC) [2004–2006]