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I am a chemical biologist and biocatalysis researcher whose work bridges organic chemistry, enzymology, and sustainable chemical design. My group’s research focuses on creating new-to-nature enzyme systems by harnessing and engineering novel co-factors, both natural and synthetic, to address pressing challenges in green chemistry, environmental remediation, and sustainable chemistry.

 

Our work is guided by two main themes. The first is expanding enzyme capabilities through non-natural co-factors. Many enzymes rely on small molecular partners, co-factors such as flavins, thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP), or nicotinamides, to carry out their chemistry. These co-factors are exquisitely tuned for their biological roles, but their intrinsic properties can limit the range of reactions enzymes can perform. By designing and synthesizing abiological co-factors, we aim to expand enzymes’ catalytic repertoire, enabling them to perform new types of chemical transformations with high efficiency and selectivity. Current projects explore synthetic flavin analogs that broaden redox potential ranges and TPP mimics that open pathways to novel C–C bond-forming reactions.

 

The second theme is harnessing prFMN-dependent (de)carboxylase enzymes for COâ‚‚ capture and bioremediation. Prenylated flavin (prFMN) is a unique co-factor used by the UbiD family of enzymes to catalyze reversible carboxylation reactions, capturing COâ‚‚ into organic molecules or removing it in a controlled way. These enzymes hold promise for environmentally friendly production of high-value chemicals, as well as for breaking down persistent pollutants such as halogenated aromatics. Our approach combines bioinformatics to identify novel decarboxylases from genomic databases, biochemical methods to reconstitute and activate them, and analytical techniques to probe their activity and substrate scope.

 

Undergraduate researchers in my lab gain hands-on experience in protein chemistry, enzyme kinetics, bioanalytical instrumentation (HPLC, LC-MS, NMR), and chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis. Students may choose projects that emphasize biochemical assay development, structural and computational analysis of enzyme active sites, or the synthesis of abiological co-factors. They also learn to integrate theory from their coursework into experimental problem-solving, bridging concepts from introductory chemistry through advanced biochemistry.