Feng Gai Named Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Chemistry

Feng Gai has been appointed Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Gai works at the intersection of physical chemistry and biology, investigating protein-folding problems, which are thought to be instrumental in understanding diseases associated with malfunctioning enzymes. Using novel methods of laser and infrared spectroscopy, Dr. Gai and his lab are advancing knowledge about how proteins fold from random or quasi-random coils to their biologically functional formations, particularly over very short time-scales (i.e., nano- and microseconds). To date the Feng Gai Lab has made significant contributions to understanding of the folding dynamics and mechanisms of α-helices and β-hairpins, the process of membrane-mediated α-helix folding and helix-helix interactions, and the role of backbone hydrogen bonds in protein folding kinetics. In addition, Dr. Gai and his coworkers have developed several infrared and fluorescence probes that can be used to study protein dynamics and function with site-specific resolution. 

Dr. Gai has developed and taught courses ranging from an introductory lab course for freshmen to advanced biomolecular imaging techniques. He also directs the University’s Ultrafast Optical Processes Laboratory. His work has been recognized through many prestigious awards and distinctions, including a Research Innovation Award from the Research Corporation, the National Science Foundation CAREER award, the American Chemical Society’s Philadelphia Section Award, and the Iowa State University Chemistry Department Alumni Excellence Award.  He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

This chair was established through the bequest of Edmund and Louise Kahn. Mr. Kahn was a 1925 Wharton graduate who had a highly successful career in the oil and natural gas industry. Mrs. Kahn, a graduate of Smith College, worked for Newsweek and owned an interior design firm. The couple created several professorships in the School of Arts and Sciences and generously supported Van Pelt Library, the Modern Languages College House, and other projects and scholarships in the humanities. Edmund Kahn died in 1984, and Louise Kahn remained very close to Penn until her death in 1995. Together they left an impressive legacy in the School of Arts and Sciences.