Meet Assistant Professor Michael Kienzler, an organic chemist interested in using light to manipulate molecules for biological applications.
Career
Growing up, Michael Kienzler’s interests spanned the sciences, including fields such as chemistry and biology. Although he enjoyed chemistry, Kienzler wanted to explore various academic paths before committing to one. “It took me a while to settle on chemistry. … It was definitely not something that I had my mind set on, only because I wanted to try out a bunch of other subjects first,” he explains. In the end, his interest in the chemical field — particularly chemical ecology and molecular machines — won him over. He officially declared his major and earned his Bachelors of Science in Chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
While at Rensselaer, Kienzler joined the research lab of Prof. Brian Benicewicz, focusing on polymer synthesis. He states that the work from this lab is what made him want to continue with post-grad chemistry research: “I did lots of work with the membranes of high temperature fuel cells, and I really enjoyed the physicality of it. … There were lots of memorable reactions.”
He continued his academic career at the University of California at Berkeley where he joined the lab of Prof. Dirk Trauner, performing research that was centered on the total synthesis of marine derived natural products. Halfway through his Ph.D., his advisor and lab moved to Germany, and he continued his research at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. “I saw the move as a new start, and I figured I might as well start a new project, which is where photoswitches came into the picture,” he explained.
After earning his Ph.D., he returned to UC Berkeley as a postdoctoral fellow, continuing his work with photoswitches, but this time in the neuroscience lab of Prof. Ehud Isacoff. Having only worked in chemistry research labs up to that point, he reflects:
It was definitely a new experience, but an interesting one. I was really the only chemist in that lab, so I got to work with molecular biologists, channel biophysicists, and molecular neuroscientists. It was a very mixed group of disciplines, and we did some very exciting work together.
After UC Berkeley, Kienzler made his way to the East Coast, where he taught and conducted research as an assistant professor at the University of Maine. In January 2021, he then moved south and joined the UConn Department of Chemistry as an assistant professor.
Coming to UConn
Beginning a new role in the middle of a pandemic presented some initial challenges. He explains, “There were lots of housekeeping things to get done, but the [Chemistry Department] was great in making the transition as smooth as possible.”
Kienzler’s first semester teaching at UConn was a “COVID semester,” and he had to learn to adjust to teaching online. “Organic chemistry is tough as it is, but teaching it online is a whole new story. It was a pretty weird experience.” Luckily, he will be teaching the class again in the upcoming Spring 2022 semester, so he looks forward to seeing students in-person again, as well as teaching organic chemistry in the way he knows best.
This semester, he is teaching an in-person graduate course in organic synthesis, which he enjoys greatly: “It doesn’t even feel like a class sometimes. It feels like a group of colleagues just gathered around a table talking about organic chemistry, and I think that’s great. It’s pretty fun.”
Research
Kienzler’s research primarily focuses on organic synthesis and chemical biology, particularly using light-sensitive molecules in a variety of ways. Currently, he is interested in synthesizing molecules that interact with calcium channels, potassium channels, and serotonin receptors. He states:
The thread that ties all of my projects together is the use of light to precisely control the function of specific proteins in a variety of biological mechanisms. By using light-activated compounds, we can ask questions like, “What are the photochemical properties of this compound?” or “What is the effect if I shine one color of light on it versus another color of light?” The next step is to evaluate the compounds’ interactions with target proteins — like ion channels — and whether we can toggle the proteins on and off with light.
With the support of a grant from the National Science Foundation, Kienzler collaborates with the research group of Raz Palty at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology to perform further electrophysiology and calcium signaling experiments. He explains:
We’re working together on a project to make photochemical tools that control the function of a subset of calcium channels, whether that be blocking them or activating them. The Palty Lab is focused on cell biology and channel biophysics. Here [at UConn], we’re doing the synthetic chemistry to make and evaluate molecules, and we’ve been pretty successful so far. … It’s some pretty cool work.
With prior in-person collaboration plans halted due to COVID, all communication thus far has taken place via video conferencing. In 2022, Kienzler hopes that he and his team will finally be able to travel to Israel to meet with collaborators and run some experiments with them in their lab. He also hopes that these colleagues will be able to reciprocate and visit UConn as well.
Future Goals
As the university slowly returns to a “new normal,” Kienzler looks forward to experiencing everything he was not able to in the midst of COVID. “There are faculty that I’m excited to meet, places in Connecticut that I want to visit, and tourist-y things that I’d like to do,” he says with a laugh.
Kienzler is eager to finally get into the bulk of his research. His transition to UConn forced him to pause his work, but between this semester and the next, his projects will be able to be put into full gear. He says, “I’m looking forward to getting everything up and running. … Now that all of the housekeeping things are done with, it’s time for the fun part.”
Kienzler is also hoping to expand his research group as he meets more and more of the UConn Chemistry community. Currently, there are a two graduate and undergraduate students working with him in the lab, and recently, he also started working with a high school student. He encourages students that are interested in his research to reach out to him for possible opportunities in the upcoming semesters.
To express interest in joining Dr. Kienzler’s research group, please email michael.kienzler@uconn.edu.
For more information, visit the Kienzler Research Group website: https://kienzler.chemistry.uconn.edu/.
By: Ngan Thach, UConn Department of Chemistry