World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Chemistry

D-Index
82
Citations
38521
World Ranking
3028
National Ranking
1010

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
80
Citations
29171
World Ranking
4016
National Ranking
1985

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2009 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1999 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1993 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1983 - Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Overview

Dennis A. Dougherty is affiliated with the California Institute of Technology in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on the intersection of biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology, with a strong emphasis on molecular biology. The scientist's work extends into subfields such as cellular and molecular neuroscience, spectroscopy, biological psychiatry, and biophysics.

The main topics covered in their research include receptor mechanisms and signaling, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor studies, ion channel regulation and function, neuroscience and neuropharmacology research, lipid membrane structure and behavior, tryptophan and brain disorders, and neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior.

Dougherty has published extensively, with notable papers including:

  • The Cation−π Interaction in Chemistry and Biology, 2025, Chemical Reviews
  • Characterization of Binding Site Interactions and Selectivity Principles in the α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, 2022, Journal of the American Chemical Society
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors within Cells: Temporal Resolution in Cytoplasm, Endoplasmic Reticulum, and Membrane, 2023, Journal of Neuroscience
  • β2 nAChR Activation on VTA DA Neurons Is Sufficient for Nicotine Reinforcement in Rats, 2023, eNeuro
  • Three Mutations Convert the Selectivity of a Protein Sensor from Nicotinic Agonists to S-Methadone for Use in Cells, Organelles, and Biofluids, 2022, Journal of the American Chemical Society

Frequent co-authors in Dougherty's research include Henry A. Lester, Aaron L. Nichols, Anand K. Muthusamy, Hailey J. Knox, and Bruce Cohen.

Many of Dougherty's publications have appeared in venues such as bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal of the American Chemical Society, ACS Chemical Neuroscience, Chemical Reviews, and Journal of Neuroscience.

The scientist has received several distinctions over their career:

  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1999
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1993
  • Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 1983

Best Publications

  • The Cationminus signpi Interaction.

    Jennifer C. Ma;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • Cation-π Interactions in Chemistry and Biology: A New View of Benzene, Phe, Tyr, and Trp

    Dennis A. Dougherty

  • Cation-π interactions in structural biology

    Justin P. Gallivan;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • Modern Physical Organic Chemistry

    Eric V. Anslyn;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • The Cation-π Interaction

    Dennis A. Dougherty

  • A Mechanism for Ion Selectivity in Potassium Channels: Computational Studies of Cation-π Interactions

    Robert A. Kumpf;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • Acetylcholine binding by a synthetic receptor: implications for biological recognition

    Dennis A. Dougherty;David A. Stauffer

  • Cation-pi interactions in aromatics of biological and medicinal interest: electrostatic potential surfaces as a useful qualitative guide.

    Sandro Mecozzi;Anthony P. West;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • From ab initio quantum mechanics to molecular neurobiology: A cation-pi binding site in the nicotinic receptor

    Wenge Zhong;Justin P. Gallivan;Yinong Zhang;Lintong Li

  • Cation−π Interactions in Simple Aromatics: Electrostatics Provide a Predictive Tool

    Sandro Mecozzi;and Anthony P. West;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • A gating charge transfer center in voltage sensors.

    Xiao Tao;Alice Lee;Walrati Limapichat;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • Spin control in organic molecules

    Dennis A. Dougherty

  • Cation–π interactions in ligand recognition and catalysis

    Niki Zacharias;Dennis A Dougherty

  • Cis – trans isomerization at a proline opens the pore of a neurotransmitter-gated ion channel

    Sarah C. R. Lummis;Darren L. Beene;Lori W. Lee;Henry A. Lester

  • A Computational Study of Cation−π Interactions vs Salt Bridges in Aqueous Media: Implications for Protein Engineering

    Justin P. Gallivan;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • Cys-loop receptors: new twists and turns

    Henry A. Lester;Mohammed I. Dibas;David S. Dahan;John F. Leite

  • Phenyl–Perfluorophenyl Stacking Interactions: A New Strategy for Supermolecule Construction

    Geoffrey W. Coates;Alex R. Dunn;Lawrence M. Henling;Dennis A. Dougherty

  • Nicotine binding to brain receptors requires a strong cation–π interaction

    Xinan Xiu;Nyssa L. Puskar;Jai A. P. Shanata;Henry A. Lester

  • Unnatural amino acids as probes of protein structure and function.

    Dennis A Dougherty

  • Nicotinic receptor binding site probed with unnatural amino acid incorporation in intact cells

    Mark W. Nowak;Patrick C. Kearney;Jeffrey R. Sampson;Margaret E. Saks

Frequent Co-Authors

Henry A. Lester
Henry A. Lester California Institute of Technology
Sarah C. R. Lummis
Sarah C. R. Lummis University of Cambridge
Scott K. Silverman
Scott K. Silverman University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Rakesh K. Jain
Rakesh K. Jain Harvard University
Kurt Mislow
Kurt Mislow Princeton University
Robert H. Grubbs
Robert H. Grubbs California Institute of Technology
Anthony P. West
Anthony P. West California Institute of Technology
Harry B. Gray
Harry B. Gray California Institute of Technology
Norman Davidson
Norman Davidson California Institute of Technology
John Abelson
John Abelson University of California, San Francisco

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