BIOCHEMISTRY

Prof. Tom Record (Principal Investigator)

Steenbock Professor in Chemical Sciences; John D. Ferry Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry. B.A., Yale University; Ph.D.: University of California-San Diego
Faculty page
Research Description:
Protein-nucleic acid interactions, including kinetics and mechanism of transcription initiation, characterization of DNA wrapping in protein DNA complexes, development of small molecule solutes as thermodynamic and mechanistic probes of protein and DNA conformational changes.

Dr. Irina Shkel (Assistant Scientist)

Department: Biochemistry, Chemistry

Research Description:

Dr. Kate Henderson (Postdoc)

Department: Biochemistry
Subgroup: RNA polymerase
Previous Education:BS (Chemistry), PhD (Chemistry)
Research Description:
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Running, biking, reading, playing board games

Rituparna Sengupta (Postdoc)

Program: Biophysics
Subgroup: Solutes
Previous Education: B.Tech (Biotechnology)
Research Description:  Using solutes as probes of large conformational changes in steps and transitions states of biopolymer processes.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Painting, Reading and Writing

Xian Cheng (Postdoc)

Program: Biophysics
Subgroup: Solutes
Previous Education: BS(Chemistry)
Research Description:  Studying interactions of amide compounds with protein and Nucleic acid functional groups and using these solutes as probes to detect biopolymer process.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Music, Movie

Munish Chhabra (Graduate, 4th year)

Program: Biophysics
Subgroup:RNA polymerase
Previous Education: B.Tech (Biotechnology)
Research Description:  Understanding the process of transcription initiation using fluorescence measurements (at both bulk and single molecule level).
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Swimming and Running

Kevin Lauterjung (Graduate, 1st year)

Program: Biophysics
Subgroup: RNA polymerase
Previous Education: B.A.S. (Sound Arts)
Research Description:

Pastime Activities/Hobbies:  All things music, Irish dance, mushroom foraging, backpacking, brewing, puns

Hao-Che Wang (Graduate, 1st year)

Program: Biophysics
Subgroup: RNA polymerase
Previous Education: BS (Life Science), Master (Molecule biology)
Research Description:Studying the discriminator effect on the mechanism of transcription initiation
Pastime Activities/Hobbies:  Playing the piano, listening to music, cooking, watching movies

Emily Zytkiewicz (Manager/Associate Research Specialist)

Subgroup: Solutes
Previous Education: B.S. (Biochemistry)
Research Description:
Quantifying chemical interactions of polyols with protein functional groups in order to develop solute probes of biopolymer processes
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: dancing, hiking, camping, gardening

Lixue Cheng (Sherry) (Research Intern)

Personal Page | Group page maintenance

Major(s): BS in Chemistry, Math, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Computer Science (minor)
Subgroup: Solutes
Research Description:
Understanding the preferential interactions between different (solutes polyols, PEG and Hofmeister salts) and aromatic compounds (nucleobases, base analogs and PAH).
Past Time Activities/Hobbies: Music

Yan Ma (Research Intern)

Previous Education: B.S. Chemical Engineering
Subgroup: Solutes
Research Description:
Measuring and analyzing the interactions of amide compounds with protein functional groups using vapor pressure osmometry.
Past Time Activities/Hobbies: Sports, music, and traveling

Cristen Molzahn (Research Intern)

Major(s):
Subgroup:
Research Description:
Pastime Activities/Hobbies:

Lindsey Felth (Research Intern)

Major(s): BA in Biochemistry and German (minor)
Subgroup: RNA Polymerase
Research Description:
Studing the kinetics of open complex formation and dissociation, the ratios of abortive/productive product ratios in trascription initiation and the effect of changing the discriminator region
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: exploring nature, reading and music

Andrew Mcclyman (Undergraduate)

Major(s):  Biochemistry
Subgroup:  Solutes
Research Description:
Pastime Activities/Hobbies:

Sumin Yang (Undergraduate)

Major(s):  Biochemistry
Subgroup:  Solutes
Research Description:  Measuring the interactions of polyols with functional groups of proteins using Vapor Pressure Osmometry.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies:  playing tennis, watching The Daily Show

Loran Cipala (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Chemistry
Subgroup: Solutes
Research Description:  Using Vapor Pressure Osmometry to measure organic molecule interactions with various protein functional groups. 
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Dancing, running, baking, and riding dirtbike

Claire Evensen (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Biochemistry and Mathematics
Subgroup: RNA polymerase
Research Description:  Studying free energy in scrunching and characterizing pause points in RNA polymerase transcription 
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Music, hiking, baking, reading

Christina McNerney (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Biochemistry
Subgroup: RNA Polymerase
Research Description:
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Playing clarinet, reading

Keer Zhao (Undergraduate)

Major(s): sophomore, Chemistry
Subgroup: solutes
Research Description: 
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: cooking, reading, and watching films

Artun Kadaster (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Biochemistry
Subgroup: RNA Polymerase
Research Description: Studying kinetics of abortive transcription products with APU.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Flying airplanes, playing and listening to music, running, cooking/eating, and studying for exams.

Emilio Jacobo (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Sophomore Biology
Subgroup: Solutes
Research Description:
Predicting and Interpreting the Hofmeister Effects of Different Salts and sugars with Nucleic Bases and Aromatic Compounds.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies:Video Games, Watching Old movies, Playing Guitar, Rock Climbing

Guanyu Liao (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Biochemistry, Statistics
Subgroup: RNA Polymerase
Research Description:
The association and dissociation kinetics of RNA polymerase and the role of the discriminator region on the kinetics.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Volleyball, traveling, watching football

Jack Kalloch (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Junior, Microbiology
Subgroup: Solutes
Research Description:
Using solutes as probes of large conformational changes in steps and transitions states of biopolymer processes.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Disc Golf, Longboarding, Snowboarding, Camping

Taylor Bye (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Psychology and Criminal Justice
Subgroup: solutes
Research Description:  Measuring the interactions of polyols with functional groups of proteins using Vapor Pressure Osmometry.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies:  Basketball, soccer, pool, watching TV shows and movies, listening to music, traveling

Sarah Dyke (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Biochemistry and French
Subgroup: RNA Polymerase
Research Description: 
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: 

Jamie Schuberth (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology (4th year)
Subgroup: solutes
Research Description:  Measuring the interactions of various amides with salts with varying carbon (aliphatic and sp2), oxygen, and nitrogen accessible surface areas via vapor pressure osmometry.
Pastime Activities/Hobbies:  Going to Concerts, Cooking, Drawing & Painting

LuLu Callies (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Biology
Subgroup: RNA Polymerase
Research Description:
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: Music, reading

Nicholas Visser (Undergraduate)

Major(s): Senior, Math and Chemistry
Subgroup: RNA Polymerase
Research Description:
Pastime Activities/Hobbies: running, basketball, and making music