Lei Zhu is in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Florida State University, and works on supramolecular chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry of zinc.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

In high school, I enjoyed all subjects in science. The experimental part of (high school) chemistry was much more visual than those of others which swayed me to what I do now.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be – and why?

My career choice second to chemistry would be investigative journalism. It is not too different from science – one draws conclusions based on evidence.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

We develop fluorescent molecules that report zinc gradients in biological systems. Also, we are interested in photophysics and coordination chemistry embodied in the compounds that we design. In addition to advancing fundamental understanding of the chemical systems, I hope that our work will lead to better sensors and catalysts, and ultimately, lots of wonderful surprises.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with – and why?

That would be Charles Darwin on the Beagle. He was a wise man and may have had incredible dinner options over his voyages.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab – and what was it?

The last entry on my notebook is March 17 this year. I prepared a precursor of ligands that we study. It’s a reaction that we have done many times. It does not go wrong. I did it to escape from my office work. I do not have a project anymore because I’m unable to provide the continuity that’s required for a project to move forward in a timely manner. Most of my lab activities involve instrument maintenance.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

I’d happily indulge in Chinese kung fu novels which occasionally do offer recipes for preparing marine delicacies. I’m not so much a music person. I’d trade music CDs for a couple of Dane Cook comedy show recordings.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions – and why?

Maitland Jones at NYU. He’s a person with ample life experience but a young and playful heart. Also, Frantz Andersen at SUNY New Paltz would be interesting. He’s a very good friend of mine from the days at UT Austin. Frantz always has shockingly amusing tales to tell.

Richmond Sarpong is in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and works on the development of strategies and methods for the total synthesis of complex natural products.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

It’s a little bit of a clichéd story…I grew up in Ghana, West Africa, and my father, who is a medical doctor, worked closely with the World Health Organization. This was a time when a disease called ‘river blindness’ was really bad in West Africa. The company Merck came in with ivermectin and basically took care of the problem for free. I, like many, was very impressed. I cracked open my father’s copy of the Merck index and my eyes opened to chemicals and all the positive things they could do for all of us….medically of course.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be – and why?

I would have loved to be a professional tennis player. I love the combination of mental and physical command it requires…you have to compete in a controlled way. Alas, my limited mental and physical talent curtailed any opportunities for this.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

In my group, we are becoming very good at making complex molecules. The ability to make molecules brings with it so much. It especially puts us in a position to make use of the things that we can make to answer chemical questions in biology. So we are currently looking to build molecules with important function to address some specific problems in cancer and asthma.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with – and why?

There are many I would like to have dinner with. Out of professional selfishness, I would say R. B. Woodward, who was amazing at designing strategies to attack complex molecule synthesis. I would really like to ask his opinion on several matters which are at the heart of a number of controversies in our field right now.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab – and what was it?

About a year ago, I ran a chemical reaction known as a Wittig reaction. I didn’t budget for the amount of time necessary for a work-up and passed it on to a very talented incoming graduate student. She has gone on to turn this half-done reaction into a series of publications…. I have come to realize that I am more useful to my laboratory by thinking critically about everyone else’s problems and getting the funding we need to continue our work than working in lab.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

Depends on how long I would be away….could I bring a Kindle with the opportunity to constantly download more stuff? Well, if restricted to one book, again, out of a selfish professional interest, it would have be Anslyn and Dougherty’s Advanced Physical Organic chemistry book….then I can return someday and match wits with my students, who have all read it cover to cover. With regard to music, it will have to be Michael Jackson’s HIStory collection. That man is a musical genius! He has a song appropriate for every mood…if double CDs are not allowed, then I will “burn” one with Pat Metheny’s Still Life Talking, some Toto, Michael Franks and some Rick Astley…he is completely underrated!

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions – and why?

Professor Brian Stoltz at Caltech. He was my postdoctoral advisor and always had fun, colorful stories to share. I think his stories will be quite inspirational for the audience of this blog.

Aaron Wright is in the Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and works on the development of chemical proteomics to facilitate myriad biological investigations.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

When I was about 10 years old I received my first chemistry kit. I distinctly remember being fascinated by the changes elicited by mixing two or more chemicals together. Of course, I didn’t really understand what caused the changes, but it piqued my interest. Later, in high school, I had probably the best chemistry teacher of my life, who fostered my interest in the field, and helped direct me toward a future in chemistry.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be – and why?

A landscape designer/architect. I love working in the yard, whether it is mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, or completely renovating some part of the landscape.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

We are working in several diverse areas all incorporating chemical and activity-based proteomics. This includes utilizing the excellent mass spectrometry instrumentation and informatics available at PNNL to perform chemical proteomics in novel ways. Currently, our work is spread across research into subcellular fractionation, tuberculosis, microbial communities, and a smidge in biofuels.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with – and why?

Martin Luther King, Jr. There are only a few individuals in history who have so resolutely stood upon their convictions and faith to bring about change for so many while their life was in constant danger. I imagine I could learn a lot over a dinner with him.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab – and what was it?

I performed a microscale vacuum distillation to purify a product from a reaction yesterday.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

If exiled on an island I’d want my Bible; I wouldn’t feel so deserted with it along. As for a music album, probably the best of Johnny Cash.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions?

Lei Zhu at Florida State University.