Jonathan Wilker

Jonathan Wilker is an American scientist, engineer, and educator who focuses on developing marine animal-inspired underwater adhesives for use in surgery, construction, and other applications. His work has been profiled by The New York Times,[1] National Public Radio,[2] Popular Science,[3] and his research findings appear in many scientific journals, such as Nature,[4] Journal of the American Chemical Society,[5][6] and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.[7][8] He is a professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he teaches courses in inorganic chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry. Wilker has received a number of awards for his teaching including The College of Science Outstanding Teacher Award at Purdue University (2011).[9] In addition to being in the Department of Chemistry, he is also a Professor of Materials Engineering at Purdue University. Outside activities include advocacy for federal funding of science research and development.[10]

Jonathan Wilker, Ph.D.
Jonathan Wilker
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

California Institute of Technology
Occupation(s)Professor of Chemistry, Purdue University,

Professor of Materials Engineering, Purdue University,

Lead Scientist, Mussel Polymers
AwardsBeckman Young Investigators Award
Websitehttps://www.wilkerlab.com

Education

Wilker grew up in the Boston area. He has said that, when younger, visiting beaches with his parents and, when older, scuba diving have influenced the research pursued in his laboratory. As an undergraduate, Wilker studied chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He was a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in chemistry, working under Stephen Lippard. After graduation he spent time at the California Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratory of Harry Gray. In 1999 he moved to Purdue University to start his own research laboratory.[11]

Research

Wilker's current research focus includes biomaterials, underwater adhesives, sustainability, polymer synthesis, biomimetic materials, marine biology, bioinorganic materials, sealants, coatings, hydrogels, and material characterization. His research group is working to understand how animals adhere to surfaces in the wet marine environment.[12] Much of this work has been with mussels and oysters. Key findings include observations indicating that mussels use iron to cure their protein-based adhesive.[13] Oysters have been shown to produce a cement with chemistry quite different from that of mussels.[14]

Another aspect of Wilker’s research program is in biomimicry. He is using information learned from marine biology to make new adhesive materials. Of note is development of a polymer adhesive that can bond more strongly than commercial Super Glue. Their laboratory has also made what may be the strongest known adhesive for bonding underwater.[15][16]

Wilker is also working in applications development, in particular using biomimetic materials to develop new adhesives for general use as well as, specifically, for surgeries.[17] One challenge in replacing biomedical sutures and screws is obtaining adhesives that can set in the wet environment of the body.

Wilker has won numerous awards for his research including the PopTech Science Fellowship (2013),[18] the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship (2002),[19] the Beckman Young Investigators Award (2001),[20] and the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award (2001).[21] Wilker has spoken about his research at PopTech (2013) and TEDx Purdue (2018).[22]

In 2019 Wilker and his team launched the company Mussel Polymers Inc, where he acts as Lead Scientist.[23] Mussel Polymers is focused on developing adhesives in the form of poly(catechol-styrene) (PCS), which Wilker and his research team invented at Purdue University.[24]

References
  1. "Special Adhesive Helps Oysters Stick Together". New York Times. August 30, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  2. "Why A Hoosier State Scientist Is Stuck On Oysters". National Public Radio. March 28, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  3. "Your guide to the practical uses of hagfish slime, glowworm glue, and other animal goo". Popular Science. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  4. Westerman, Clayton R.; McGill, Bradley C.; Wilker, Jonathan J. (September 2023). "Sustainably sourced components to generate high-strength adhesives". Nature. 621 (7978): 306–311. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06335-7. ISSN 1476-4687.
  5. Mazzotta, Michael G.; Putnam, Amelia A.; North, Michael A.; Wilker, Jonathan J. (2020-03-11). "Weak Bonds in a Biomimetic Adhesive Enhance Toughness and Performance". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 142 (10): 4762–4768. doi:10.1021/jacs.9b13356. ISSN 0002-7863.
  6. Román, Jessica K.; Wilker, Jonathan J. (2019-01-23). "Cooking Chemistry Transforms Proteins into High-Strength Adhesives". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 141 (3): 1359–1365. doi:10.1021/jacs.8b12150. ISSN 0002-7863.
  7. Schmidt, Gudrun; Christ, Peter E.; Kertes, Paige E.; Fisher, Racheal V.; Miles, Logan J.; Wilker, Jonathan J. (2023-07-12). "Underwater Bonding with a Biobased Adhesive from Tannic Acid and Zein Protein". ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 15 (27): 32863–32874. doi:10.1021/acsami.3c04009. ISSN 1944-8244.
  8. Tibabuzo Perdomo, Andrés M.; Alberts, Erik M.; Taylor, Stephen D.; Sherman, Debra M.; Huang, Chia-Ping; Wilker, Jonathan J. (2018-05-02). "Changes in Cementation of Reef Building Oysters Transitioning from Larvae to Adults". ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 10 (17): 14248–14253. doi:10.1021/acsami.8b01305. ISSN 1944-8244.
  9. Fiorini, Philip (October 24, 2012). "Purdue researcher to discuss how nature helps develop biomedical materials". Purdue University. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  10. Wang, Linda (October 10, 2012). "Speaking Up For Science". Chemical & Engineering News. 90 (22): 55. doi:10.1021/cen-09022-acsnews.
  11. "Purdue Chemistry: Wilker Laboratory: Jon Wilker". www.chem.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  12. "Home". Wilker Lab. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  13. "Chemists Crack Secrets of Nature's Super Glue". National Science Foundation. January 12, 2004. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  14. "Cement, the Glue That Holds Oyster Families Together". National Science Foundation. August 23, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  15. Liszewski, Andrew. "Scientists Made the Perfect Underwater Glue By Stealing an Idea From Shellfish". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  16. North, Michael A.; Del Grosso, Chelsey A.; Wilker, Jonathan J. (2017-03-01). "High Strength Underwater Bonding with Polymer Mimics of Mussel Adhesive Proteins". ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 9 (8): 7866–7872. doi:10.1021/acsami.7b00270. ISSN 1944-8244. PMID 28177600. S2CID 206442880.
  17. Cohl, Stacy (2014-09-18). "Jonathan Wilker: Nature's Glue". Alphachimp. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  18. "Purdue professor named PopTech Science Fellow - Purdue University". www.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  19. "Jonathan Wilker Profile". Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  20. "Jonathan Wilker". Beckman Foundation. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  21. "Chemists Crack Secrets of Nature's Super Glue". National Science Foundation. January 12, 2004. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  22. Wilker, Jonathan (2019-01-24), What sticky sea creatures can teach us about making glue, retrieved 2023-09-15
  23. "About Us". Mussel Polymers. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  24. North, Michael A.; Del Grosso, Chelsey A.; Wilker, Jonathan J. (2017-03-01). "High Strength Underwater Bonding with Polymer Mimics of Mussel Adhesive Proteins". ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 9 (8): 7866–7872. doi:10.1021/acsami.7b00270. ISSN 1944-8244.
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