Zachary J. Donhauser

Zachary Donhauser received his BS in chemistry from Providence College and his PhD in Chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University in 2003. He joined the Vassar College faculty in 2004 after completing postdoctoral research in the Bioengineering Department at The Pennsylvania State University.

Mr. Donhauser teaches Physical Chemistry (Chem 350) and Introductory Chemistry (Chem 108/109 and Chem 125), and Integrated Lab (Chem 372/373). His research interests are in the areas of molecular-scale biophysics and scanning probe microscopy. To pursue these interests, Mr. Donhauser maintains a lab equipped with surface analysis tools, such as a Rame-Hart contact angle goniometer and a state-of-the-art Bruker Multimode atomic force microscope (AFM). He is currently using the AFM tool to investigate protein-protein interactions and the physical properties of protein polymers at the nanometer scale. In addition, he is utilizing the AFM as an interdisciplinary, collaborative research tool. In one such project with Mr. Kaur in the Chemistry Department, the nanometer-scale morphology and elasticity of rubber-modified epoxies are being studied.