I am fascinated by the way nature builds precise 3-dimensional nanostructures from the folding of linear polymers. We aim to adapt the fundamental principles of protein folding to man-made polymers, to create novel and robust nanoarchitectures that are capable of specific molecular recognition and catalysis. We have developed a new class of bio-inspired polymer called ‘peptoids’ that can be synthesized with remarkable efficiency and sequence-specific precision. This enables us to prepare vast combinatorial libraries of information-rich polymers, and screen them for a variety of functions. In close collaboration with theorists, we are discovering the design rules that govern the synthesis of atomically-ordered, protein-mimetic materials to solve frontier problems in energy and materials science.