Rate My Professor Matthew Hartman

Matthew C.T. Hartman is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University, a position he has held since advancing through the ranks since joining the faculty in 2006. He is also a member of the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Center for Drug Discovery. Hartman earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Wheaton College in 1997. He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan in 2002, where he worked under James Coward on the synthesis of fluorinated carbohydrates as mechanistic enzyme inhibitors. From 2002 to 2006, he conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University with Nobel Laureate Jack W. Szostak, focusing on molecular biology approaches to expand the genetic code.

Hartman's research centers on chemical biology, with specializations in the ribosomal synthesis and in vitro selection of unnatural peptides via mRNA display to identify inhibitors of protein-protein interactions relevant to cancer and other diseases. His laboratory develops light-activated drug delivery systems, genetic code reprogramming techniques, and macrocyclic peptide libraries to target undruggable proteins. Notable achievements include the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in 2012 and selection as an Inaugural National/International Recognition Award (NIRA) Scholar in 2023 for exceptional accomplishments. His group has received significant funding, such as a $1.1 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences in 2021 to pioneer drug discovery for undruggable diseases; two recent NIH awards totaling $2 million in 2025—a $1.6 million MIRA grant from NIGMS and a $400,000 NCI grant for structural studies of cancer-related proteins; and support from the Commonwealth Health Research Board and Gilbert Family Foundation. Key publications encompass highly cited works like "Ribosomal synthesis of unnatural peptides" (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2005; 352 citations), "In Vitro Selection of Highly Modified Cyclic Peptides That Act as Tight Binding Inhibitors" (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012; 326 citations), "An expanded set of amino acid analogs for the ribosomal translation of unnatural peptides" (PLoS ONE, 2007; 276 citations), and recent contributions such as "Spontaneous, co-translational peptide macrocyclization using p-cyanoacetylene-phenylalanine" (Chem. Commun., 2022) and "Hyperaccurate Ribosomes for Improved Genetic Code Reprogramming" (ACS Synth. Biol., 2022). These efforts have significantly influenced advancements in peptide therapeutics and targeted cancer treatments.