Education / Graduate Education / PhD Programs / Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Faculty & Students / Faculty Faculty ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAffiliated FacultyBrian Altman, Ph.D.Email BrianAltmanAltman LabBiomedical GeneticsResearch Interest: Role of Circadian Rhythm in in gene regulation and cancer cell biology and metabolism. Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramXin Bi, Ph.D.Email XinBiBi LabBiologyResearch Interest: Chromatin-mediated regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramDirk Bohmann, Ph.D.Email DirkBohmannBiomedical GeneticsResearch Interest: The biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics of signal-transducing transcription factors and their role in development, aging and disease Dr. Bohmann works part-time and doesn’t accept new students.Not accepting students at this time.Paul Boutz, Ph.D.Email PaulBoutzBoutz LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Regulation of pre-mRNA splicing and polyadenylation in healthy and diseased states; the contribution of RNA processing to cancer biology; effects of small molecule drugs on RNA processing and gene expression.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramPaul Brookes, Ph.D.Email PaulBrookesBrookes LabAnesthesiology and Perioperative MedicinePharmacology & PhysiologyResearch Interest: Cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Role of Mitochondria and metabolism in ischemic preconditioning and anesthetic preconditioning.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramMichael Bulger, Ph.D.Email MichaelBulgerBulger LabPediatricsBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Chromatin domains and long-range activation by enhancersMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramGloria Culver, Ph.D.Email GloriaCulverCulver LabBiologyBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Assembly of the E. coli 30S ribosomal subunit, which is essential for cellular growth, so as to understand how infections might be controlled through selective inhibition of specific assembly control points.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramIan Dickerson, Ph.D.Email IanDickersonDickerson LabPharmacology & PhysiologyNeuroscienceBiomedical EngineeringResearch Interest: Molecular mechanisms of neuropeptide signal transductionMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramMark Dumont, Ph.D.Email MarkDumontDumont LabPediatricsBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Signal transduction; membrane protein structure, yeast molecular biologyMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramDmitri Ermolenko, Ph.D.Email DmitriErmolenkoErmolenko LabBiologyBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Structural dynamics of the ribosome and ribosomal ligands during proteins synthesis, regulation of protein synthesis by mRNA structure in normal and diseased cells, and mechanisms of antibiotic action.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramSina Ghaemmaghami, Ph.D.Email SinaGhaemmaghamiGhaemmaghami LabBiologyResearch Interest: Molecular mechanisms of prion propagation and pathogenesisMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramVera Gorbunova, Ph.D.Email VeraGorbunovaGorbunova & Seluanov LaboratoryBiologyResearch Interest: Mechanisms of aging and the role of DNA repair and genomic instability in the aging process.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramElizabeth Grayhack, Ph.D.Email ElizabethGrayhackGrayhack LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Role of the genetic code in regulating protein synthesis and mRNA metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramAlan Grossfield, Ph.D.Email AlanGrossfieldGrossfield LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Investigating membranes and membrane proteins via computer simulationMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramIsaac Harris, Ph.D.Email IsaacHarrisHarris LabBiomedical GeneticsResearch Interest: Understanding the roles of antioxidants in diseaseMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramJeffrey Hayes, Ph.D.DirectorEmail JeffreyHayesWilliam A. Bernhard Memorial LabHayes LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Regulation of transcription, nuclear processes, related to chromatin structure and function Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramClara Kielkopf, Ph.D.Email ClaraKielkopfKielkopf LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Splicing defects in hematologic malignancies; roles of human pre-mRNA splicing factors in HIV-1 infectivity; development of engineered splicing factors for correction of splicing defects; splice sites and their associated proteins as therapeutic targets.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramHartmut Land, Ph.D.Email HartmutLandLand LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsBiomedical GeneticsResearch Interest: Molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Signaling and Cancer Cell MetabolismMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramJohn Lueck, Ph.D.Email JohnLueckLueck LabPharmacology & PhysiologyNeurologyResearch Interest: Determining the therapeutic promise of engineered tRNAs for treatment of nonsense associated diseases and investigating the pathomechanisms of skeletal muscle weakness and wasting in myotonic dystrophyMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramLynne Maquat, Ph.D.Email LynneMaquatMaquat LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: RNA metabolism in human cells (nonsense-mediated mRNA decay/mRNA surveillance); influence of pre-mRNA splicing on mRNA translation; Staufen-mediated mRNA decay and Staufen-regulated RNA metabolism; post-transcriptional gene control via lncRNAs and SINEs; miRNA metabolism; Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome/Autism; therapeutics of nonsense diseases.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramDavid Mathews, M.D., Ph.D.Email DavidMathewsMathews LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Computational biology of RNA, including structure prediction, molecular dynamics, and genomics.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramMargot Mayer-Pröschel, Ph.D.Email MargotMayer-PröschelMayer-Pröschel LabNeuroscienceBiomedical GeneticsResearch Interest: Identification of different stem and precursor cell pools in CNS that may be critical for cell replacement therapies or are targets of insults that lead to developmental pathologies. Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramStephano Mello, Ph.D.Email StephanoMelloMello LabBiomedical GeneticsResearch Interest: Understanding how nuclear proteins and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) regulate gene transcription in pancreatic preneoplastic lesions, gaining knowledge of the process of cellular transformation and tumor initiation.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramAnne Meyer, Ph.D.Email AnneMeyerMeyer LabBiologyResearch Interest: Bacterial stress response; 3D Printing of Bacteria; BiomaterialsMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramBenjamin Miller, Ph.D.Email BenjaminMillerBenjamin Miller LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsBiomedical EngineeringDermatologyResearch Interest: Carbohydrate and protein recognition, molecular design, and biomolecular sensingMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramJoshua Munger, Ph.D.DirectorEmail JoshuaMungerMunger LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsMicrobiology & ImmunologyResearch Interest: Mechanisms of metabolic network manipulation induced by viral infection and oncogenic mutation.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramPatrick Murphy, Ph.D.Email PatrickMurphyPatrick Murphy LabBiomedical GeneticsResearch Interest: The genetics, genomics, and chromatin biochemistry of cell state transitions that occur during embryonic development and carcinogenesis.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramMitchell O'Connell, Ph.D.Email MitchellO'ConnellO'Connell LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Biochemical mechanisms of RNA-mediated gene regulation; RNA-targeting CRISPR tool developmentMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramEric Phizicky, Ph.D.Email EricPhizickyPhizicky LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: tRNA biogenesis, function and quality control; intellectual disability due to deficiencies in tRNA modifications.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramElaine Sia, Ph.D.Email ElaineSiaSia LabBiologyResearch Interest: Mutagenesis and repair of the mitochondrial genome.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramLaurie Steiner, M.D.Email LaurieSteinerSteiner LabPediatricsMedicineResearch Interest: Understanding how regulation of RNA Polymerase II activity regulates cellular differentiation, with a focus on erythropoiesis. Delineating epigenetic control of normal erythropoiesis; determining the contribution of disrupted epigenetic regulation to inherited anemias.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramPaula Vertino, Ph.D.Email PaulaVertinoVertino LabBiomedical GeneticsResearch Interest: Cancer epigenetics: the role of DNA methylation and chromatin in driving cancer phenotypes and as a target for therapeutic interventionMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramEric Wagner, Ph.D.Email EricWagnerWagner LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Mechanism and physiological importance of alternative polyadenylation; Integrator Complex and transcriptional control, development and application of next-generation sequencing technologiesMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramJoseph Wedekind, Ph.D.Email JosephWedekindWedekind LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: Structure and function analysis of gene regulation by non-protein-coding (nc)RNAs as a basis for therapeutic development.Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramPeng Yao, Ph.D.Email PengYaoYao LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsMedicineResearch Interest: Pathophysiological function and molecular mechanism of new non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins and translational control in cardiac system and cardiovascular diseaseMentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. ProgramYi-Tao Yu, Ph.D.Email Yi-TaoYuYu LabBiochemistry & BiophysicsResearch Interest: RNA modification; pre-mRNA splicing; snRNP biogenesis; telomerase RNA modification and aging; nonsense-disease therapeutics. Mentor for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. Program