Mentor: Nozomi Ando
Education:
Franklin and Marshall College – B.A., double major in Chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2022)
Awards and Honors
- Richard C. Schiedt Trust for Graduate Study Prize, May 2022
- W. E. Weisgerber Chemistry Award, May 2022
- Leser Grant, October 2021
- Hackman Summer Scholarship, Summer 2021
- Isaac E. Roberts Prize in Biology, April 2021
- Beaker Award for Outstanding General Chemistry Performance
Research Experience:
- Wrote and defended the thesis: “Modulating the Photophysical Properties of
sfGFP with Non-Canonical Amino Acids”.
Current Research Activities:
I am interested in the structure and allosteric regulation of ancient nitrogenase-like enzymes. My focus is on the tetrapyrrole reductase CfbCD found in methanogenic archaea, an enzyme proposed to be a predecessor to modern nitrogenases. Notably, I will use biophysical techniques including anaerobic small angle x-ray scattering and cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structure of CfbCD. The ultimate goal with this project is to explore how both protein structure and allostery evolve with time.