Cole Pearson

My name is Cole Pearson. I am a student–scientist born and raised in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and currently pursuing my Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at UC San Diego. I graduated with my B.S. in Chemistry (with a Math minor!) from Shippensburg University in May, 2026.

My academic interests lie in physical biochemistry, or as a friend put it—”everything”. At the fundamental physical and chemical level, biological systems are just extraordinary. How these particles find it in them to mosey out of bed each morning, coordinate their efforts, absorb blasts of energy and shoot other blasts out, get trucked around in some dark fluid, and through all of it—dance together such that they may compose the chorus of motion that is me as I write this, and you as you read this.

More to the point: I am fascinated and motivated by the chance to develop and/or use cutting-edge tools (very broad definition here) to better understand and control these biochemical systems. Then, if we can formulate succinct (often mathematical) explanations of these systems as we come to understand them, and clearly share them… that’s the epitome of science! Further, the personal and communal growth offered by scientific work is just ineffable.

My degree in Chemistry is ACS-certified, i.e., I am trained in all the subfields, but with an emphasis on physical chemistry and mathematics (through the corresponding minor). My undergraduate research has largely centered on physical–analytical work:

In summer 2024, I worked in the lab of Dr. Scott Sayres at Arizona State University through an NSF–REU grant in Sustainable Chemistry & Catalysis. Under the mentorship of Chase Rotteger, I examined the ultrafast energy transport mechanisms of carbon chains using femtosecond laser spectroscopy and bromo-alkanes as model systems of study.

In summer 2025 I partook in the Department of Energy/American Chemical Society-sponsored Nuclear Chemistry Summer School at San José State University, San José, CA. Under lead instructor Dr. Jeff Bryan, I mastered the fundamentals of nuclear science and radiochemical experimental techniques. In summer 2026, I worked as a TA for this program, a wonderful and eye-opening experience. Lots and lots of tacos…

From May 2025 to August 2026, I pursued my senior research project, “Development of a Computational Tool for the Analysis of Kombucha Titrations” under the guidance of Drs. Jeb Kegerreis, Luis Melara, and John Richardson at Shippensburg University. I combined analytical techniques, mathematical modeling, and thermodynamic theory to develop a new computational tool that can analyze the concentrations and/or identities of multi-acid systems from a single titration curve.

My favorite trait is earnestness.