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John B. Matson

Professor
  • Dr. AC Lilly Jr. Faculty Fellow in Nanoscience
  • Associate Department Chair
Portrait of John Matson
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Location:

Research Office: 313B Davidson Hall
Associate Chair Office: 480B Davidson Hall
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Contact:

jbmatson@vt.edu
540-231-3329

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Research Interests

Our lab focuses on developing new materials to address problems in biology, medicine, and sustainability. With a focus on synthetic organic and polymer chemistry as well as self-assembly, we aim to synthesize, characterize, and test these new materials in an interdisciplinary and collaborative manner. Current research efforts include:

  • Developing methods for the delivery of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a biologically vital signaling agent. To this end we focus on small molecule H2S donors triggered by specific stimuli, polymer and polymer assemblies capable of sustained H2S release, and hydrogels that have the ability to localize H2S delivery.
  • Synthesizing and studying bottlebrush polymers with unique shapes, such as tapered (cone-shaped) bottlebrush polymers.
  • Preparing new polymers and polymer blends based on a combination of synthetic polymers and naturally occurring polymers such as polysaccharides.
  • Investigating dendritic peptides with thermoresponsive properties. We are evaluating these high molecular weight, highly branched peptides as biomaterials for tissue engineering and drug delivery.

 

 

Addo, I. Steele, A. Q.; Matson, J. B. “Structure-Property Relationships in Poly(olefin sulfone) Copolymers and Terpolymers Derived from Linear and Cyclic Alkenes” Polym. Chem. 2026, 17, 171-179. doi: 10.1039.d5py00859j

Li, Z.; Tousian, B.; Zaiden, M.; Sarkar, I.; Vu, C.; Wang, Y.; Bitton, R.; Matson, J. B. “Cellular uptake and anti-oxidant activity of H2S-releasing tetrapeptide supramolecular polymer nanostructures” ACS Mater. Lett., 2025, 7, 3141-3149. doi:10.1021/acsmaterialslett.5c00921

Swilley, S. N.; Wu, H.; Tomasina, C.; Moroni, L.; Wieringa, P.; Baker, M. B.; Matson, J. B. “Electrospun polymer fiber mats for persulfide prodrug delivery” Biomacromolecules, 2025, 26, 6057-6069. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.5c00975

Vu, C.; Abu Amara, N.; Alaboalirat, M.; Nativ-Roth, E.; Zalk, R.; Leite, W.; Carrillo, J.-M.; Bitton, R.; Matson, J. B. “Aqueous self-assembly of cylindrical and tapered bottlebrush block copolymers” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, 64, e202500771. doi: 10.1002/anie.202500771

Matson, J. B.; Steele, A. Q.; Mase, J. D.; Schulz, M. D. “Polymer Characterization by Size-Exclusion Chromatography with Multi-Angle Light Scattering (SEC-MALS): A Tutorial Review” Polym. Chem. 2024, 15, 127-142. doi: 10.1039/d3py01181j

Zhu, Y.; Shmidov, Y.; Harris, E. A.; Theus, M. H.; Bitton, R.*; Matson, J. B. “Activating hidden signals by mimicking cryptic sites in a synthetic extracellular matrix” Nat. Commun. 2023, 14, 3635. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39349-‍w

  • College of Science Certificate of Teaching Excellence Award 2023
  • Alan F. Clifford Faculty Service Award, 2022
  • Dr. A. C. Lilly Jr. Faculty Fellowship in Nanoscience, 2020
  • Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers, 2020
  • Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, 2019
  • Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2018
  • PMSE Young Investigator Award, 2018
  • Jimmy W. Viers Teaching Award, 2016
  • 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award, 2015
  • Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, 2014
  • ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award, 2014
  • A.B. Washington University in St. Louis, 2004
  • Ph.D. California Institute of Technology, 2009
  • Postdoctoral Associate, Northwestern University, 2009–2012