OUR PEOPLE
Academic Credentials
- Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2022
- M.S., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2019
- B.S., Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, 2016
Additional Education & Training
- Excellence in Polymer Graduate Research, American Chemical Society, 2022
- Graduated with Honors, University of California, Irvine, 2016
Professional Affiliations
- American Chemical Society (member)
Dr. Dalal specializes in polymer synthesis and characterization, with an emphasis on applications for biomaterial delivery. He has diverse experience in the fields of orthogonal polymerization, air-free chemistry, non-viral gene delivery, physiochemical polymer characterization, and in vitro and in vivo testing of biopolymers.
A chemist by training, Dr. Dalal is skilled in organic polymer and monomer synthesis, as well as molecular characterization using NMR, FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, GC-MS, HPLC, and LC-MS. He also has practical knowledge of macromolecular structure characterization using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), multi-angle laser light scattering, and static light scattering. Dr. Dalal also has expertise in analysis of polymer-DNA nanoparticle interactions through dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements, gel electrophoresis, and cell culture in vitro testing.
Prior to joining Ä¢¹½tv, Dr. Dalal obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where he developed cationic polymeric vectors to enhance the efficacy of non-viral gene delivery. Specifically, his research included development of a family of cationic bottlebrush polymers as well as a library of linear polymers through controlled radical polymerization and combinatorial click chemistry, which were used to deliver pDNA and CRISPR-Cas9 proteins in biological systems. His highly interdisciplinary research included monomer synthesis, polymer synthesis, polymer physical characterization, biological delivery, and machine learning to study structure property relationships.