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Energy for the Environment

The latest initiative that has grown out of Oberlies’ lab started with a chance question by another professor in a departmental meeting.

A few years ago, Dr. Nick Oberlies’ doctoral student Zeinab Al Subeh made a presentation to the faculty – a part of the graduate student training process in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. They nurture rich scientific discussions that can blossom into new discoveries.

Dr. Shabnam Hematian asked the student about the “redox potential” of the fungal-derived compounds she was studying. Al Subeh didn’t know the answer – it relates to how efficiently the compound moves electrons around. However, she took the opportunity to explore the subject with one of Hematian’s electrochemistry-focused graduate students.

That started a collaboration to explore the potential of fungal chemistry in applications related to the generation, storage, and transmission of electricity. The collaboration has now bloomed into a rich, cross-university, cross-disciplinary research initiative called NICER – Nature Inspired Collaborative Energy Research.

The highly collaborative effort was kickstarted by a $1.5 million Research Opportunities Initiative – ROI – grant obtained by Hematian from the N.C. General Assembly to explore how compounds found in fungi might create greener energy systems. It’s now led by Oberlies and UNCG’s Dr. Minjeong Kim, assistant professor and associate head of computer science.

Many technologies we use to produce, store, and transmit electricity – everything from solar cells to electric car batteries – use lithium and other rare metals. Organic compounds, such as those produced by fungi, could potentially serve the same purpose.

Nature’s Tiny Chemists

Dr. Nick Oberlies’ lab searches for cancer-fighting compounds in fungi, delves into the chemistry of medicinal herbs, and explores how fungal chemistry could make electricity cheaper and safer.

Read the full feature
Laboratory scene showing Dr. Al-Qiam in a white coat and blue gloves holding a separatory funnel filled with dark red liquid, positioned over a clamp stand. The counter is lined with glassware, tubing, and labeled boxes, with additional lab equipment visible in the background.
Al-Qiam and another student in a laboratory working with a rotary evaporator inside a fume hood. One person adjusts the control knob while the other reaches toward the glass apparatus connected to tubing and a condenser column. Various lab equipment and clamps are visible on the bench.
Al-Qiam and another student in a laboratory working at a counter with glass flasks containing green liquid. One person is adjusting a flask on a metal surface covered with foil, while the other observes. Shelves above hold various containers and lab supplies.
Top-down view of multiple small glass jars arranged in rows, each containing liquids in varying shades of beige, pink, and brown.
Dr. Al-Qiam's gloved hands holding a small clear vial with liquid in a laboratory setting. Shelves and equipment are visible in the blurred background.
Laboratory setup showing a person wearing gloves operating a rotary evaporator. The apparatus includes glass condenser coils, round-bottom flasks, and tubing connected to a heating bath partially filled with liquid.
Laboratory scene showing Al-Qiam and a student working at a counter with a separatory funnel containing dark liquid held in a clamp stand. The bench is lined with glassware, bottles, and labeled boxes, with additional lab equipment visible in the background.
Al-Qiam and a student in a laboratory standing near a chromatography system with tubing and large reagent bottles. Al-Qiam is gesturing with gloved hands while the student observes. Shelves above hold various containers and equipment.
Dr. Reema Al-Qiam is focused on a class of fungal-produced compounds called perylenequinones that could have energy applications.

The molecules in fungi have characteristics – such as the ability to dissolve in water and function in other chemical environments – that could make them useful in batteries and other electrical technologies. While new organic compounds are unlikely to replace materials like lithium entirely, they could reduce the need for them. New chemistry using organic compounds might also be more environmentally friendly.

The researchers say the NC ROI grant – the first ever secured by UNCG faculty – will help them conduct basic research, which could lead to federal funding. NICER collaborators include chemistry and engineering professors from UNC Charlotte, and UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as Mycosynthetix’s Pearce.

In addition to research on how fungal chemistry might be applied in electrical technology, the NICER funding provides training and educational opportunities for undergraduates, grad students, and postdocs, developing the state’s science and technology workforce.

read about Al-Qiam’s experience in “Graduate Energy”
read the full story, “Nature’s Tiny Chemists”
Story by Mark Tosczak
Photography by David Lee Row
Oberlies Research Group
College of Arts and Sciences
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2025 issue