Karen Wooley
  • Distinguished Professor
  • W. T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry
  • Professor of Chemistry
  • Director TAMU Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions
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Other Affiliations:
Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
Chief Technology Officer, Teysha Technologies
Co-Founder and President, Sugar Plastics

Websites: Wooley Research Group; Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions

Research Areas
  • Energy
  • Instrumentation
  • Materials
  • Medicinal
  • Nanoscience
  • Organic
  • Polymer
  • Supramolecular
  • Surface
  • Sustainability & Green
  • Synthesis

Biography

Karen Wooley holds the W. T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry and is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University. She also has a joint appointment in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. Wooley studied at Oregon State University (B.S., 1988) and Cornell University (Ph.D., 1993). As an undergraduate, she engaged in natural product total synthesis research in the laboratory of Steven J. Gould (deceased), and she then shifted to macromolecular chemistry with a focus on the synthesis and characterization of dendritic and hyperbranched polymers during Ph.D. studies under the direction of Jean M. J. Fréchet. The first sixteen years of her independent academic career were spent at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and she then relocated to Texas A&M University in July 2009. In addition to her academic positions, she is a co-founder and President of Sugar Plastics, LLC, and Chief Technology Officer of Teysha Technologies, Ltd. Research interests include the synthesis and characterization of degradable polymers derived from natural products, unique macromolecular architectures, complex polymer assemblies, and well-defined nanostructured materials. She has designed synthetic strategies to harness the rich compositional, regiochemical and stereochemical complexity of natural products for the construction of hydrolytically-degradable polymers, which have impact toward sustainability, reduction of reliance on petrochemicals, and production of biologically-beneficial and environmentally-benign natural products upon degradation – these materials are designed to impact global issues and she works aggressively to translate them to overcome global challenges. Recent awards include election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2015), National Academy of Inventors (2019), American Association for the Advancement of Science (2020), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2020), and National Academy of Sciences (2020); she was also named as the 2021 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Professor of the Year.

Research Interests

Our research activities combine organic syntheses, polymerization strategies and polymer modification reactions in creative ways to afford unique macromolecular structures, which have been designed as functional nanostructures, polymer systems having unique macromolecular architectures, and/or degradable polymers. The emphasis is upon the incorporation of functions and functionalities into selective regions of polymer frameworks. In some cases, the function is added at the small molecule, monomer, stage, prior to polymerization, whereas, in other cases, chemical modifications are performed upon polymers or at the nanostructure level; each requires a strategic balance of chemical reactivity and the ultimate composition and structure.

Fundamental and applied studies are leading toward the incorporation of various functions into polymer materials, including biological activity, imaging capabilities, drug or gene delivery performance, toxin sequestration, photo- or electroactivity, triggered destruction, chemical reactivity, anti-biofouling characteristics, among others. Covalent and non-covalent interactions are employed in the development of new synthetic methodologies for the construction of the materials. Rigorous physicochemical characterization and in vitro and in vivo biological evaluations are performed. Therefore, students gain broad experience and achieve expertise across disciplines, with a foundation based upon organic chemistry, and extensions into analytical, physical and biological chemistries and engineering. Our primary, overarching aim that is involved in all projects within our research team is to develop synthetic strategies that harness the rich compositional, regiochemical and stereochemical complexity of natural products for the construction of hydrolytically-degradable polymers. Our materials are designed to have impact toward sustainability, reduction of reliance on petrochemicals, and to lead to the production of biologically-beneficial and environmentally-benign natural products upon degradation. While most of our research is of a fundamental nature, the outputs from the materials developed have translational potential, which are also being pursued to impact the global issue of plastic pollution and address challenges resulting from climate change, among other issues. Research activities begin with the development of novel synthetic strategies, and proceed through to fundamental study of physicochemical and mechanical properties and investigation of functional performance.

Educational Background

  • Ph. D., Cornell University, Polymer/Organic Chemistry, August 1993
  • B. S., Oregon State University, Chemistry, May 1988

Awards & Honors

  • Professional Member, The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), 2025 – present
  • Outstanding Career Award, College of Arts and Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2023
  • SEC Professor of the Year, Southeastern Conference on behalf of Texas A&M University, 2021
  • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2020 – present
  • Member, Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST), 2020 – present
  • Member, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), 2020 – present
  • Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), 2020 – present
  • Fellow, National Academy of Inventors (NAI), 2019 – present
  • Distinguished Achievement College-Level Teaching Award, Texas A&M University Association of Former Students, 2016
  • Distinguished Research Achievement Award, Texas A&M University Association of Former Students, 2016
  • Fellow, American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AMACAD), 2015 – present
  • Oesper Award, University of Cincinnati, 2015
  • Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), 2014 – present
  • Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize, 2014
  • Texas A&M System Technology Commercialization Innovation Award, 2014
  • American Chemical Society Award in Polymer Chemistry, 2014
  • Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor, 2011 – present
  • W. T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry at Texas A&M University, 2009 – present
  • American Chemical Society, Polymer Chemistry Division, Herman F. Mark Scholar Award, 2009
  • Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in Organic Chemistry, 2002
  • Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, 1998 – 2001
  • Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, 1996 – 1999
  • DuPont Young Professor Grant, 1996 – 1999
  • National Science Foundation National Young Investigator Award, 1994 – 1999

Selected Publications

  • Ten Recent Publications (peer-reviewed):

    Easley, A. D.; Li, C.-H.; Li, S.-G.; Nguyen, T. P.; Kuo, K.-H. M.; Wooley, K. L.; Tabor, D. P.; Lutkenhaus, J. “Electron Transport Kinetics for Viologen-containing Polypeptides with Varying Side Group Linker Spacing”, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, 12, 31871-31882, DOI:  10.1039/d4ta06766e.

    Tran, D. K.; Braaksma, A. N.; Andras, A. M.; Boopathi, S. K.; Darensbourg, D. J.; Wooley, K. L. “Structural Metamorphoses of d-Xylose Oxetane- and Carbonyl Sulfide-based Polymers in-situ During Ring-opening Copolymerizations”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145, 18560-18567, DOI:  10.1021/jacs.3c05529.

    Shen, Y.; Leng, M.; Yang, Y.; Boopathi, S. K.; Sun, G.; Wooley, K. L. “Elucidation of Substantial Differences in Ring-opening Polymerization Outcomes from Subtle Variation of Glucose Carbonate-based Monomer Substitution Patterns and Substituent Types”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145(28), 15405-15413, DOI:  10.1021/jacs.3c03339.

    Pang, C.; Wang, H.; Zhang, F.; Patel, A. K.; Lee, H. P.; Wooley, K. L. “Glucose-derived superabsorbent hydrogel materials based on mechanically-interlocked slide-ring and triblock copolymer topologies”, J. Polym. Sci., 2023, 61, 937-950, DOI:  10.1002/pol.20220639.

    Kang, N.; Cho, S.; Leonhardt, E. E.; Liu, C.; Verkhoturov, S. V.; Woodward, W. H.; Eller, M. J.; Yuan, T.; Fitzgibbons, T. C.; Borguet, Y.; Jahnke, A. A.; Sokolov, A. N.; McIntire, T.; Reinhardt, C.; Fang, L.; Schweikert, E. A.; Spencer, L. P.; Sun, G.; Trefonas, P.; Wooley, K. L. “Topological Design of Highly Anisotropic Aligned Hole Transporting Molecular Bottlebrushes for Solution-processed OLEDs”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144(18), 8084-8095, DOI:  10.1021/jacs.2c00420.

    Tran, D. K.; Rashad, A. Z.; Darensbourg, D. J.; Wooley, K. L. “Sustainable Synthesis of CO2-derived Polycarbonates from d-Xylose”, Polym. Chem., 2021, 12, 5271-5278, DOI:  10.1039/D1PY00784J.

    Nguyen, T. P.; Easley, A. D.; Kang, N.; Khan, S.; Lim, S.-M.; Rezenom, Y. H.; Wang, S.; Tran, D. K.; Fan, J.; Letteri, R. A.; He, X.; Su, L.; Yu, C.-H.; Lutkenhaus, J. L.; Wooley, K. L. “Polypeptide Organic Radical Batteries”, Nature, 2021, 593, 61-66, DOI:  10.1038/s41586-021-03399-1.

    Song, Y.; Yang, X.; Shen, Y.; Dong, M.; Lin, Y.-N.; Hall, M. B.; Wooley, K. L. “Invoking side-chain functionality for the mediation of regioselectivity during ring-opening polymerization of glucose carbonates”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, 142(40), 16974-16981, DOI:  10.1021/jacs.0c05610.

    Lin, Y.-N.; Khan, S.; Song, Y.; Dong, M.; Shen, Y.; Tran, D. K.; Pang, C.; Zhang, F.; Wooley, K. L. “A Tale of Drug-Carrier Optimization:  Controlling stimuli sensitivity via nanoparticle hydrophobicity through drug loading”, Nano Lett., 2020, 20(9), 6563-6571, DOI:  10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02319.

    Dong, M.; Song, Y.; Wang, H.; Su, L.; Shen, Y.; Tran, D. K.; Letteri, R. A.; Flores, J. A.; Lin, Y.-N.; Li, J.; Wooley, K. L. “Degradable Sugar-based Magnetic Hybrid Nanoparticles for Recovery of Crude Oil from Aqueous Environments”, Polym. Chem., 2020, 11(30), 4895-4903, DOI: 10.1039/D0PY00029A. 

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