| Name |
Degree Awarded |
Current Position |
| Oksoo Han |
Ph.D., September, 1984 – June, 1989 |
Professor, Department of Genetic Engineering and Institute of Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Korea |
| “Mechanistic Studies of the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose: Purification of CDP-6-deoxy-Δ3,4-glucoseen Reductase and Characterization of Its NADH Oxidase Activity.” |
| Nancy D. Lenn |
M.S., September, 1984 – September, 1987 |
Northwest Nazarene University and Boise State University |
| “Mechanistic and Electron Transfer Properties of General Acyl- and Butyryl-CoA Dehydrogenase.” |
| Raymond N. Russell |
Ph.D., January 1985 – July, 1991 |
Attorney, Fredrickson and Byron, P.A., Minneapolis |
| “Part I. Stereochemical and Mechanistic Studies of the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose; Part II. Purification of a Lipid Inhibitor of Lymphoid Cell Growth from Macrophage Hybridoma Cells.” |
| Theresa M. Weigel |
Ph.D., September 1985 – February, 1991 |
Research Scientist, Merck, Sharp and Dohme Research Lab, Rhaway, NJ |
| “Mechanistic Studies of the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose: Purification and Characterization of CDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose-3-dehydrase.” |
| Vaughn P. Miller |
Ph.D., September, 1985 – February, 1991 |
Application Manager, RapidFire, Agilent Technologies |
| “Part I. CDP-6-deoxy-Δ3,4-glucoseen Reductase: Enzyme Purification and Mechanistic Studies; Part II. Studies of the Mechanistic Diversity of Sodium Cyanoborohydride Reduction of Tosylhydrazones.” |
| Stanley F. Lo |
Ph.D., September, 1985 – August, 1992 |
Associate Professor, Wisconsin School of Medicine & Director of Chemistry and Metabolic Genetic Labs, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, WI, USA |
| “Cloning and Characterization of the CDP-6-deoxy-Δ3,4-glucoseen Reductase Gene.” |
| Ding-yah Yang |
Ph.D., September, 1986 – May, 1992 |
Professor, Department of Chemsitry, Tunghai University, Taiwan |
| “Part I: Mechanistic Studies of Biosynthesis of 3,6-Dideoxyhexoses; Part II: Studies of the Mechanistic Diversity of Sodium Cyanoborohydride Reduction of Tosylhydrazones and Oxidation of Tosylhydrazines by N-Iodosuccinimide.” |
| Ming-Tain Lai |
Ph.D., September, 1987 – August, 1992 |
Senior Principal Scientist, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA |
| “Mechanistic Studies of General Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase: The Molecular Basis of Jamaican Vomiting Sickness.” |
| Jon S. Thorson |
Ph.D., September, 1987 – July, 1993 |
Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky |
| “Studies of the Biosynthesis of 3,6-Dideoxyhexoses inYersinia pseudotuberculosis: The Molecular Basis of CDP-Ascarylose Formation.” |
| Yenyoung Lei |
Ph.D., September, 1988 – May 1995 |
Research Scientist,Applied Biosystems |
| “Mechanistic Studies of Enzymes Involved in the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose and TDP-Rhamnose” |
| Patricia A. Pieper |
Ph.D., September, 1990 – February, 1997 |
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Anoka-Ramsey Community College at Coons Rapids, MN, USA |
| “Mechanistic Studies of CDP-6-deoxy-L-threo-D-glycero-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase (E1) and CDP-6-deoxy-L-threo-D-glycero-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase reductase (E3): Two Key Enzymes Involved in the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose” |
| Nanette L. S. Que |
Ph.D., September, 1990 – February, 1997 |
N/A |
| “Studies of the Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cell Wall and Antibiotic Deoxysugar Moieties: dTDP-Rhamnose, CDP-Ascarylose, and dTDP-Mycaminose” |
| Injae Shin |
Ph.D., September, 1991 – April, 1995 |
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Korea |
| “Mechanistic Studies of Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenases with MCPA-CoA Derivatives and Radical Probes” |
| Ding Li |
Ph.D., September, 1991 – April, 1995 |
Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhongshan University, China |
| “Mechanistic Studies of Inactivation of Enzymes Involved in Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation” |
| Cheryl El-Hilali |
M.S., September, 1991 – Feburary, 1995 |
n/a |
| Xuemei He |
Ph.D., September, 1991 – August, 1997 |
Research Scientist, Life Science Group, Bio-Rad Laboratories |
| “Biosynthetic Studies of Ascarylose, Streptose, and Cyclopropane Fatty Acids” |
| Wensheng Du |
Ph.D., September, 1991 – July, 1997 |
Director, Market Development, Akzol Nobel Chemicals |
| “Mechanistic Studies of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate Deaminase” |
| Jocelyn Clark |
M.S., January, 1993 – July, 1996 |
Research Scientist, Paddock Laboratories, Inc. |
| “The Synthesis of Mechanistic Probes for Two Enzymes: Medium-chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase and Fosfomycin Epoxidase” |
| Zhihong Guo |
Ph.D., September, 1992 – March 1998 |
Professor,Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong |
| “Studies of the Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cell Wall and Antibiotic Deoxysugar Components: Yersiniose A, Mycarose, and Mycaminose” |
| Srikanth Dakoji |
PhD., October 1998 |
Physician, Minnesota |
| “Mechanistic Studies of the Enzymes Involved in Fatty Acid Metabolism: Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenases and Enoyl-CoA Hydratases.” |
| David Johnson |
PhD., January, 1999 |
Research Scientist, MicroConstants |
| “Part I: Mechanistic Studies on Enzymes in the Ascarylose Biosynthetic Pathway. Part II: Biochemical and Mechanistic Studies on Enzymes Involved with Bacterial Resistance to Mitomycin C.” |
| Huawei Chen |
Ph.D., October, 1999 |
Research Scientist, Astra Zeneca R & D Boston |
| “Studies of the Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cell Wall and Antibiotic Deoxysugar Component: Yersiniose A, Mycarminose, and Mycarose.” |
| Tina Hallis |
Ph.D., April, 2000 |
Research Scientist, Invitrogen |
| “Biochemical and Mechanistic Studies on Enzymes Involved in the Biosynthesis of 3,6-dideoxyhexoses and the Branched- chain Sugar Mycarose.” |
| Gautam Agnihotri |
Ph.D., June, 2000 |
Research Scientist, Schering-Plough |
| “Mechanistic Studies on Enzymes Involved in Deoxyhexose Biosynthesis and on the Inactivation of Enoyl-CoA hydratase by (Methylenecyclopropyl)formyl-CoA.” |
| Lishan Zhao |
Ph.D., May, 2000 |
Head of Protein Engineering, Amyris Biotechnologies, Inc. |
| “Biosynthetic Studies of D-Desosamine and Engi- neered Biosynthesis of Methymycin/Pickromycin analogs Carrying Modified Deoxysugars.” |
| Erich Molitor |
Ph.D., December, 2000 |
Senior Research Scientist, Segetis Inc |
| “Mechanistic Studies of Cyclopropane Fatty Acid Synthase.” |
| Pinghua Liu |
Ph.D., May, 2001 |
Associate Professor,Department of Chemistry, Boston University, MA, USA |
| “Insights into the Enzymes in Fosfomycin Biosynthesis: Mechanistic Studies of HPP Epoxidase.” |
| Jenefer Alam |
M.S., May, 2003 |
Research Scientist, Experimental Therapeutics Center, A*Star, Singapore |
| “Mechanistic Studies on the Biosynthesis of GDP-L-Colitose” |
| Vidusha Devasthali |
M.S., August, 2003 |
Research Scientist, Genentech |
| “Mechanistic Investigation of 1-Deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate Reductoisomerase” |
| Beth Paschal |
Ph.D., December, 2003 |
Phage Display Product Manager, New England Biolabs, Inc. |
| “Mechanistic Studies on Cyclopropyl Fatty Acid Synthase” |
| Noelle Beyer |
Ph.D., July, 2004 |
Associate Professor,Department of Chemistry, Southwest Minnesota State University, MN, USA |
| “I. Investigation of the Biosysnthesis of CDP-Colitose; II. Characterization of a Key Enzyme in the Biosynthesis of Mitomycin C.” |
| Svetlana Borisova |
Ph.D., August, 2004 |
Research Scientist, Amyris Biotechnologies |
| “Genetic and Biochemical Studies of the Biosynthesis and Attachment of D-Desosamine,the Deoxy Sugar Component of Macrolide Antibiotics Produced by Streptomyces venezuelae“ |
| Feng Yan |
Ph.D., December, 2004 |
Research Scientist, Omniox Inc. |
| “Biochemical and Spectroscopic Studies of (S)-2-Hydroxypropylphosphonic Acid Epoxidase in Fosfomycin Biosynthesis” |
| Lin Hong |
Ph.D., December, 2004 |
Research Scientist, University of New Mexico, NM, USA |
| “Biochemical Studies of the Enzymes Involved in Deoxysugar D-Forosamine Biosynthesis” |
| William Kittleman |
Ph.D., December, 2006 |
Senior Biochemist, Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories |
| “Characterization and Mechanistic Studies of the Type 2 Isopentenyl Diphosphate:Dimethyallyl Diphosphate Isomerase from Staphylococcus aureus“ |
| Chad Melancon III |
Ph.D., December, 2006 |
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, NM, USA |
| “Investigation and Engineering of Macrolide Antibiotic Sugar Biosynthesis and Glycosylation Pathways of Actinomycetes“ |
| Peng Gao |
Ph.D., August, 2007 |
Research Associate, Institute of Molecular Medicine, UTHSCH, TX, USA |
| “Studies of Activation, Automodification, and Transmodification of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1” |
| Wei-Luen Allen Yu |
Ph.D., December, 2007 |
N/A |
| “Studies of the Biosynthesis of the Nitrosuagr D-Kijanose and the Function of the Glycosyltransferase Helper Protein in Glycosylation of Macrolide Antibiotics” |
| Jeffrey Wayne Munos |
Ph.D., May, 2008 |
Research Scientist, DuPont, Palo Alto, CA, USA |
| “Mechanistic Studies of HPP Epoxidase and DXP Reductoisomerase: Applications to Biosynthesis and Antibiotic Development” |
| Ping-Hui Szu |
Ph.D., May, 2008 |
Staff Scientist, Radiant Genomics, SF, CA, USA |
| “The Biosynthesis of TDP-D-Desosamine: Characterization and Mechanistic Studies of DesII, A Radical S-Adenosylmethionine-Dependent Enzyme” |
| Zhihua Tao |
Ph.D., August, 2008 |
Research Scientist, BPS Bioscience, San Diego, CA, USA |
| “Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1: Domain C Structure, Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation Sites and Physiological Functions” |
| Ying Zhou |
Ph.D., August, 2009 |
Research Scientist, New England Biolabs, Inc. |
| “Studies of the Metal Binding Properties and DNA Recognition Mode of the Unusual Zinc Fingers in Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 and the Investigation of Its Interaction with Apoptosis Inducing Factor (AIF)” |
| Jessica White-Phillip |
Ph.D., July, 2010 |
Biomedical Laboratory, Eagle Applied Sciences |
| “Glycosylation Reactions in Secondary Metabolism: Glycosylation Events in C-Mannosylation and the Biosynthesis of Kijanimicin” |
| Hak Joong Kim |
Ph.D., August, 2010 |
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Korea University, South Korea |
| “Investigation of the Post-Polyketide Synthase (PKS) Modifications During Spinosyn A Biosynthesis in Saccharopolyspora spinosa“ |
| Christopher Thibodeaux |
Ph.D., August, 2010 |
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Canada |
| “Mechanistic Studies of Two Enzymes that Employ Common Coenzymes in Uncommon Ways” |
| Eita Sasaki |
Ph.D., May, 2011 |
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Japan |
| “Biosynthetic Studies of Thiosugar-containing Natural Products, BE-7585A and Lincomycin A” |
| Wei-Chen Chang |
Ph.D., August, 2011 |
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, NC, USA |
| “Mechanistic Studies of Two Iron-containing Enzymes that Catalyze Unusual Chemical Transformations” |
| Sei Hyun Choi |
Ph.D., December, 2013 |
Principle Investigator, Korean National Research Institute for Drug Discovery, Korea |
| “Synthetic Approaches to Investigate the Chemical Mechanism in the Biosynthesis of Natural Products “ |
| Grace He Sun |
Ph.D., December, 2013 |
International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), Carrollton, TX, USA |
| “Studies of Unusual Catalysis: A Tale of Four Enzymes from Diverse Biosynthesis Pathways “ |
| Mel Cheng-Hao Liu |
Ph.D., December, 2013 |
Research Scientist, Calogent (華蔚生技), Taiwan |
| “Probing Chemical Mechanism of Two Enzyme-catalyzed Reactions by Chiral Substrate Analogues “ |
| Namho Kim |
Ph.D., December, 2013 |
Research Scientist, SK Chemicals, Seoul, South Korea |
| “Mechanistic Investigations of SpnF- and SpnL-Catalyzed Cyclizations in the Biosynthesis of Spinosyn A “ |
| Eta Isiorho |
Ph.D., May, 2014 |
Instructor, Department of Chemistry, Auburn University, AL, USA |
| “Structural Characterization of Post-PKS Enzymes Involved in Spinosyn Biosynthesis “ |
| Meilan Wu |
Ph.D., August 2014 |
Research and Development Department, Sanofi, Shanghai, China |
| “DNA Recognition and Mechanistic Investigation of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1” |
| Chia-I Lin |
Ph.D., May 2015 |
Research Scientist, Gilead Sciences, Inc., CA, USA |
| “Biosynthetic Studies of Lincomycin A, A Thiosugar-containing Natural Product” |
| Ke-Yi Lin |
Ph.D., August 2015 |
Research Scientist, Chiome Bioscience, Tokyo, Japan |
| “Molecular Mechanism of Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation Catalyzed by Human Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 “ |
| Anthony Romo |
Ph.D., May, 2016 |
Pharmacist, Investigational Pharmacy Services, MD Anderson Cancer Center, TX, USA |
| “Discovery of the Amipurimycin and Miharamycins Biosynthetic Gene Clusters and Insight into the Biosynthesis of Nogalamycin” |
| Hak Joong Kim |
Ph.D., May, 2016 |
Postdoctoral Associate, Hans Knoll Institute
, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research, Germany |
| “Characterization of Two Radical S-Adenosyl-L-methionine Enzymes in the Biosynthesis of Aminoglycosides” |
| Jon Peter Gengler |
M.S., December, 2016 |
N/A |
| “Biosynthesis of Sulfur-Containing Heterpocycles in Natural Products” |
| Byung-sun Jeon |
Ph.D., May, 2017 |
Postdoctoral Associate, College of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley, CA, USA |
| “Mechanistic Studies of SpnF and SpnL-catalyzed Cyclization Reactions in Spinosyn A Biosynthesis” |
| Yeonjin Ko |
Ph.D., May, 2017 |
Postdoctoral Associate, The Scripps Research Institute, CA, USA |
| “Unusual carbohydrate biosynthesis : mechanistic studies of DesII and the biosynthesis of formycin A” |
| Geng-Min Lin |
Ph.D., August, 2017 |
Postdoctoral Associate, Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA |
| “Unusual Carbohydrate Biosynthesis: Studies of the Flavin-dependent Isomerase UGM, the Radical S-Adenosyl-L-methionine Enzyme DesII, and the Biosynthesis of Herbicidins” |
