Institute for Functional Nanomaterials

Nanoscientist

University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus

Biography

Rivera, native of Toa Alta, Puerto Rico obtained his B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus and his doctoral degree from the Massachusetss Institute of Technology. In 2002, after postdoctoral studies at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, he returned to his alma mater to start his independent career in bionanotechnology. The main theme of his research is the use of self-assembly in the construction of functional nanostructures. In self-assembly, small subunits are “programmed” at the molecular level to spontaneously arrange to form any desired object, a process commonly used by nature to construct most objects at the nanoscale, from the DNA double helix to viruses and human cells. Rivera's research team is developing synthetic self-assembled nanostructures that may become more effective anticancer drugs as well as nanocarriers for “smart” drug delivery applications. His research projects are currently sponsored by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation through the Institute for Functional Nanomaterials (IFN).

Teams

Cluster I: Functional Dispersed Nanostructures

Phone

787-764-0000 ext. 2906

E-mail

jmrivort gmail com

Website

http://web.mac.com/jmrivortz/

Education

• B.Sc. in Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointments

2006–present

Associate Professor, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, San Juan, PR, United States

Honors and awards

• NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship — Postdoctoral fellowship, NIH ()
• Puerto Rico Economic Development Association Graduate Fellowship — PhD fellowship, PR Economic Development Agency ()

Publications

1. V. Gubala, M. Martín-Hidalgo, J. M. Rivera, J. M. Rivera, and J. M. Rivera, "Solvent-Induced High Fidelity Switching Between two Discrete Supramolecules", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 131, 3186 (2009)
2. J. E. Betancourt, J. M. Rivera, and J. M. Rivera, "Hexadecameric Self-Assembled Dendrimers Built from 2'- Deoxyguanosine Derivatives", Org. Lett., 10, 2287 (2008)
3. M. García-Arriaga, G. Hobley, J. M. Rivera, and J. M. Rivera, "Isostructural Self-Assembly of 2'-Deoxyguanosine Derivatives in Aqueous and Organic Media", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 130, 10492 (2008)
4. V. Gubala, G. Hobley, J. M. Rivera, J. M. Rivera, and M. D. Rivera-Sánchez, "Synthesis of 8-Heteroaryl-2-deoxyguanosine Derivatives", Synlett, 1510 (2008)

Grants

1. J. M. Rivera. Small Molecule self-assembly in aqueos media , National Institutes of Health, R01, 5 years, December 2009, Single PI, Pending, $1,833,100.
2. J. M. Rivera and V. Rotello. Hierarchical assembly of functional materials using self-assembled dendrimers and nanoparticle composites , Other, UPR-UMASS JUNTO Program, 1 year, September 2009, Multiple PIs, Approved, $50,000.
3. J. M. Rivera. Functional self-assembled nanostructures based on modified G-quadruplexes for biomcal applications, National Institutes of Health, Institutional Minority Training Grant AABRE program NCRR, 3 years, August 2006, Single PI, Approved, $300,000.

Presentations

1. J. M. Rivera (October 2008) "Adventures in Supramolecular Space using 8-Arylguanine Derivatives".
2. J. M. Rivera (October 2008) "Adventures in Supramolecular Space using 8-Arylguanine Derivatives".
3. J. M. Rivera (October 2008) "Adventures in Supramolecular Space using 8-Arylguanine Derivatives".
4. J. M. Rivera (September 2008) "Adventures in Supramolecular Space using 8-Arylguanine Derivatives".
5. J. M. Rivera (July 2008) "Modulating the supramolecular structure and properties of quadruplexes by using 8-aryl-guanine derivatives" in International Symposium on Macrocyclic & Supramolecular Chemistry.
6. J. M. Rivera (April 2008) "Construction of Supramolecular Nanostructures Using 8-Aryl-2'-Deoxyguanosine Derivatives" in Multifunctional Nanomaterials International Symposium.