Matias Horst

Hi there! I’m an incoming postdoctoral researcher in the Pharmaceutical Chemistry department at the University of California San Francisco, where I will work with William DeGrado. My research will use computational protein design to explore foundational principles in biological and macromolecular chemistry. You can find a list of my past publications here.

During my doctoral research, I studied how mechanical forces influence chemical reactivity in macromolecules. Working with Yan Xia, I applied organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, materials characterization, and computational techniques to develop novel polymers with force-responsive motifs (mechanophores). This research helped establish design principles linking molecular structure, polymer properties, and force-coupled reaction mechanisms that will advance the development of new mechanophores.

I studied chemistry as an undergraduate at Duke University, where I researched force-responsive metallopolymers under the guidance of Katherine Franz and Stephen Craig.

Outside the lab, I enjoy birdwatching, gardening, and vegetarian cooking. I believe that a scientific understanding of the societal and material forces that have shaped our world is crucial to successfully working to improve it: this leads me to value reading broadly, critically, and in dialogue with others.