Alec H. Follmer

Our research group is dedicated to advancing the frontiers of metalloenzymology by designing innovative approaches to understand the non-equilibrium dynamics that drive the catalytic processes of metal-containing enzymes.

We combine state-of-the-art structural biology, spectroscopies, biophysics, and chemical biology methods to provide high-resolution structural and kinetic characterization of catalytic intermediates. This approach is designed to reveal how protein motions are coupled to the electronic structures of metallocofactors, shedding light on their role in facilitating enzymatic mechanisms.

Our long-term vision is to pioneer strategies for selective catalysis and structure-based drug discovery. By working at the interface of bioinorganic chemistry, (bio)photocatalysis, and pharmacology, we aim to drive advancements in medicine and sustainable chemistry.

Education, Awards, and Professional Highlights

• Appointed to UC Davis Faculty (2024)
• Appointed to LCLS User Executive Committee, SLAC (2024)
• Project Scientist, University of California Irvine (2023-2024)
• Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California Irvine (2022-2023)
• National Science Foundation 2026 Idea Machine Finalist – Top 33 (2020)
• DOE Basic Energy Sciences Early Career Network (BES-ECN) Representative, (2020–2021)
• Postdoctoral Scholar, California Institute of Technology (2019-2022)
• Ph.D., University of California Irvine (2014-2019)
• B.Sc., University of the Pacific (2011-2014)

Representative Publications

• Antolini, C., Sosa Alfaro, V., Reinhard, M., Chatterjee, G., Ribson, R., Sokaras, D., Gee, L., Sato, T., Kramer, P. L., Raj, S. L., Hayes, B., Schleissner, P., Garcia-Esparza, A. T., Lim, J., Babicz, Jr., J. T., Follmer, A. H., Nelson, S., Chollet, M., Alonso-Mori, R., Van Driel, T. B., The Liquid Jet Endstation for Hard X-Ray Scattering and Spectroscopy at the Linac Coherent Light Source. Molecules 2024, 29 (10), 2323.
• Smith, N., Dasgupta, M., Wych, D. C., Dolamore, C., Sierra, R. G., Lisova, S., Marchany-Rivera, D., Cohen, A. E., Boutet, S., Hunter, M. S., Kupitz, C., Poitevin, F., Moss, F. R., Brewster, A. S., Sauter, N. K., Young, I. D., Wolff, A. M., Tiwari, V. K., Kumar, N., Berkowitz, D. B., Hadt, R. G., Thompson, M. C., Follmer, A. H., Wall, M. E., Wilson, M. A., Changes in an Enzyme Ensemble During Catalysis Observed by High Resolution XFEL Crystallography. Science Advances 2024, 10, eadk7201.
• Mirzoyan, R., Follmer, A. H., Hadt, R. G., Observing Long-lived Photogenerated Holes in Cobalt Oxyhydroxide Oxygen Evolution Catalysts. ACS Appl. Energy Mater 2024, 7, 2837–2846
• Gable, J. A., Poulos, T. L., Follmer, A. H., Cooperative Substrate Binding Controls Catalysis in Bacterial Cytochrome P450terp (CYP108A1). J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 4254–4265
• Follmer, A. H., Borovik, A. S., The Role of Basicity in Selective C–H Bond Activation by Transition Metal-Oxidos. Dalton Trans. 2023, 52, 11005–11016.
• Follmer, A. H., Luedecke, K. M., Hadt, R. G., μ-oxo Dimerization Effects on Ground- and Excited-State Properties of a Water-Soluble Iron Porphyrin CO2 Reduction Catalyst. Inorg. Chem. 2022, 61, 20493–20500
• Poulos, T. L., Follmer, A. H., Updating the Paradigm: Redox Partner Binding and Conformational Dynamics in Cytochromes P450. Acc. Chem. Res. 2022, 55, 373–380.
• Follmer, A. H., Ribson, R. D., Oyala, P. H., Chen, G. Y., Hadt, R. G., Understanding Covalent versus Spin–Orbit Coupling Contributions to Temperature Dependent Electron Spin Relaxation in Cupric and Vanadyl Phthalocyanines. J. Phys. Chem. A 2020, 124, 9252–9260
• Follmer, A. H., Tripathi, S., Poulos, T. L., Ligand and Redox Partner Binding Generates a New Conformational State in Cytochrome P450cam (CYP101A1). J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 2678–2683.
• Follmer, A. H., Mahomed, M., Goodin, D. B., Poulos, T. L., Substrate Dependent Allosteric Regulation in Cytochrome P450cam (CYP101A1). J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 16222–16228