The University of Texas at San Antonio
AFRL ML-RCP Partner Institution Strengths & Capabilities
Contact Information
Name: Doug E. Frantz
Title: Professor and Assistant Chair, Department of Chemistry
Email: doug.frantz@utsa.edu
Research
1. Please list the research areas in which your institution currently engages.
Bio effects: Kirk Schanze, kirk.schanze@utsa.edu
Functional materials & applications: Kirk Schanze, kirk.schanze@utsa.edu
Electro-optical sensing: Kirk Schanze, kirk.schanze@utsa.edu
2. Please note any research areas of strength not listed above. This may include fundamental sciences (e.g. math, physics, biology, etc.).
Small molecule drug discovery, synthetic organic chemistry, organic materials: Stanton F. McHardy, Stanton.mchardy@utsa.edu and Doug E. Frantz, doug.frantz@utsa.edu
Small molecule probes for biomedical applications and biosensors: Stanton F. McHardy, Stanton.mchardy@utsa.edu and Doug E. Frantz, doug.frantz@utsa.edu
Non-linear optical materials: Kirk Schanze, kirk.schanze@utsa.edu
3. Please list any emerging areas of research your department/institution is actively seeking to develop.
Protein Degradation and Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTAC’s) for drug discovery: Stanton F. McHardy, Stanton.mchardy@utsa.edu and Doug E. Frantz, doug.frantz@utsa.edu
Preclinical pharmacology, drug metabolism: Doug E. Frantz, doug.frantz@utsa.edu
Molecular modeling, molecular dynamics, and Artificial: Doug E. Frantz, doug.frantz@utsa.edu
4. Does your department have any internal research centers or participate in any research consortia?
Center for Innovative Drug Discovery (www.utcidd.org), Stanton F. McHardy, Stanton.mchardy@utsa.edu
San Antonio Partnership for Precision Therapeutics (www.sappt.org), Stanton F. McHardy, Stanton.mchardy@utsa.edu
UTSA Brain Health Consortium (https://www.utsa.edu/bhc/), Doug E. Frantz, doug.frantz@utsa.edu
5. Please provide a list of relevant facilities and equipment.
Ultrafast laser spectroscopy
Non-linear spectroscopy
Time-resolved microscopy
Complete department list of facilities can be found here: https://www.utsa.edu/sciences/chemistry/instrumentation.html
6. Does your institution have a relationship with any other academic institution or research organization(s) that enables your access to their facilities and equipment?
UT Health San Antonio (https://uthscsa.edu) - shared core facilities across both institutions
Southwest Research Institute (https://www.swri.org) – existing funded collaborations between faculty and staff
Texas Biomedical Research Institute (https://www.txbiomed.org ) - existing funded collaborations between faculty and staff
ML-RCP Program Expectations
7. The objective of the AFRL ML-RCP is to enable and enhance the research capabilities of the HBCU’s/MSIs through collaborative research efforts with AFRL. What would be necessary for you to receive to meet this objective?
As a recently designated R1 research institution, the Department of Chemistry at UTSA is looking to rapidly expand its research infrastructure and educational programs by building strong collaborations with external partners such as the AFRL. In particular, we are looking for avenues to grow our PhD program in chemistry by providing graduate students opportunities to participate in internship programs that will enhance their graduate experience at UTSA.
We would also like to highlight Dr. Kirk Schanze, who is a world-renowned expert in photoresponsive materials, conjugated polymers and electro-optical sensors. He also has current funding from AFOSR and is eager to establish a collaborative research program with AFRL ML-RCP given the fact that his research program is highly synergistic with the mission of the AFRL.