Every semester we are proud to host outstanding seminar speakers. All seminars are held at 10:30 AM CST in 2117 MERF with few exceptions.
Fall 2025 - Spring 2026
Fall 2025 - Spring 2026
| Date | name | title | host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2025 | |||
| Aug. 28, 2025 | |||
| Sept. 4, 2025 | Patrick Oakes, PhD, Loyola University Chicago | Kris DeMali, PhD | |
| Sept. 18, 2025 | |||
| Sept. 25, 2025 | |||
| Oct. 2, 2025 | |||
| Oct. 9, 2025 | Bradley Webb, PhD, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center | Tony Pedley, PhD | |
| Oct. 16, 2025 | |||
| Oct. 23, 2025 | Shelley Minteer, PhD, Missouri University of Science and Technology | Tony Pedley, PhD | |
| Oct. 30, 2025 | |||
| Nov. 6, 2025 | |||
| Nov. 13, 2025 | |||
| Nov. 27, 2025 | FALL BREAK - no seminar | ||
| Dec. 4, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Dec. 11, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Dec. 18, 2025 | FINAL EXAM WEEK - no seminar | ||
Spring 2026 | |||
| Jan. 22, 2026 | RESERVED | ||
| Jan. 29, 2026 | RESERVED | ||
| Feb. 5, 2026 | RESERVED | ||
| Feb. 12, 2026 | RESERVED | ||
| Feb. 19, 2026 | |||
| Feb. 26, 2026 | |||
| Mar. 5, 2026 | |||
| Mar. 12, 2026 | |||
| Mar. 19, 2026 | SPRING BREAK - no seminar | ||
| Mar. 26, 2026 | |||
| Apr. 2, 2026 | |||
| Apr. 9, 2026 | |||
| Apr. 16, 2026 | |||
| Apr. 23, 2026 | |||
| April 30, 2026 | |||
| May 7, 2026 | |||
| May 14, 2026 | FINAL EXAM WEEK - no seminar | ||
Fall 2024 - Spring 2025
Fall 2024 - Spring 2025
| Date | name | title | host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2024 | |||
| Aug. 5, 2024 | Yikang Rong, PhD, Univ. of South China | A Tale of Two snRNAs | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Sept. 5, 2024 | canceled | ||
| Sept. 12, 2024 | canceled | ||
| Sept. 19, 2024 | Ci Jim Lim, PhD, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison | Human Replication Protein A complex is a Telomerase Processivity Factor Essential for Telomere Maintenance | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Sept. 26, 2024 | canceled | ||
| Oct. 3, 2024 | canceled | ||
| Oct. 10, 2024 | Leslie Leinwand, PhD, Univ. of Colorado Boulder | Novel Mechanisms of Cardioprotection in Pythons | Peter Rubenstein, PhD |
| Oct. 17, 2024 | Aaron Hobbs, PhD, Medical Univ. of South Carolina | Not all KRAS Mutants are Created Equal: How Atypical KRAS Mutants Differentially Drive Pancreatic Cancer | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Oct. 24, 2024 | canceled | ||
| Oct. 31, 2024 | canceled | ||
| Nov. 7, 2024 | Scott Williams, PhD, NIH/NIEHS | Structure and function of Sf1b helicases regulating cellular transcription and viral replication | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Nov. 14, 2024 | Judith Simcox, PhD, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison | Will be rescheduled. | Brandon Davies, PhD |
| Nov. 21, 2024 | Mini-Symposium on Nuclear Structure and Function: Chromosomes, Chromatin Protein and the Nuclear Lamina | ||
| Nov. 28, 2024 | FALL BREAK - no seminar | ||
| Dec. 5, 2024 | RESERVED | ||
| Dec. 12, 2024 | RESERVED | ||
| Dec. 19, 2024 | FINAL EXAM WEEK - no seminar | ||
Spring 2025 | |||
| Jan. 23, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Jan. 30, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Feb. 6, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Feb. 13, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Feb. 20, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Feb. 27, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Mar. 6, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Mar. 13, 2025 | RESERVED | ||
| Mar. 20, 2025 | SPRING BREAK - no seminar | ||
| Mar. 27, 2025 | |||
| Apr. 3, 2025 | Edward Egelman, PhD University of Virginia | Using Cryo-EM to Understand Evolution | Maria Spies, PhD Peter Rubenstein, PhD |
| Apr. 10, 2025 | |||
| Apr. 17, 2025 | Sara Stahley, PhD Penn. State University | TBA | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Apr. 24, 2025 | |||
| May 1, 2025 | Kara Davis, DO Stanford | Understanding Cellular Predictors of Relapse in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia | Miles Pufall, PhD Jessica Zimmerman, MD |
| May 8, 2025 | Douglas Kojetin, PhD, Vanderbilt University | TBA | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| May 15, 2025 | FINAL EXAM WEEK - no seminar | ||
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
| Date | Name | Title | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2023 | |||
| Aug. 24, 2023 | Xu Liu, PhD, Emory University | Mechanistic Understanding of Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling through Selective Modulator and Condensation Formation | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Aug. 31, 2023 | Dr. Abby Buchwalter, University of California San Francisco | Quantifying Protein and Cell Lifetimes in vivo to Understand (Pathological) Aging | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Oct. 17, 2023 | Dr. Hungoo Lee, Harvard Medical School | Site Specific R-loops Induce CGG Repeat Contraction and Fragile X Gene Reactivation | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Oct. 19, 2023 | Dr. Zhao Wang, Baylor College of Medicine | Journey into Platelet Structure: Unraveling the Mysteries from Morphology to Molecular Level | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Nov. 9, 2023 | Dr. Anna Marie Pyle, Yale University | The innate immune receptor RIG-I couples protein folding with host-pathogen differentiation | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Nov. 16, 2023 | Dr. Mark Hedglin, Penn State University | Close encounters of the damaging kind: How the human DNA replication machinery accommodates chemically-modified DNA | Todd Washington, PhD |
| Nov. 30, 2023 | Dr. Brian Parks, University of Wisconsin | Using Genetics to Guide Biochemical Studies of Uncharacterized Genes in Metabolic Disease | Brandon Davies, PhD |
Spring 2024 | |||
| Mar. 28, 2024 | Alexey Soshnev, PhD University of Texas at San Antonio | Connected Landscapes: Chromatin Mechanisms of Cancer and Pluripotency | Pamela Geyer, PhD |
| Apr. 11, 2024 | Abhinava Mishra, PhD University of California, Santa Barbara | From Drosophila to a human immunodeficiency and enhanced cancer cell immunotherapy: Hyperactive Rac stimulates cellular cannibalism | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| May 2, 2024 | Amy Whitaker, PhD Fox Chase Cancer Center | APE1: A DNA Repair Swiss Army Knife | Todd Washington, PhD |
Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
| Date | name | title | host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2022 | |||
| Sept. 15, 2022 | Dr. Jennifer Kearney, Northwestern University | Channelopathy-Associated Developmental Epilepsies | Sheila Baker, PhD |
| Oct. 20, 2022 | Dr. Leemor Joshua-Tor, HHMI and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Mad about U: regulating the let7 pre-miRNA | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Nov. 17, 2022 | Dr. Deb Kelly, Pennsylvania State University | Advancing the Real-time Revolution in Molecular Microscopy | Maria Spies, PhD |
Spring 2023 | |||
| Feb. 2, 2023 | Dr. Dustin Updike, MDI Biological Laboratory | Germ granules, nucleoli, and new insights from FG- and RG-repeat assemblies in the C. elegans germline | Daniel Weeks, PhD and Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Feb. 16, 2023 | Dr. Daniel Conway, Ohio State University | Mechanical forces regulate the stability of epithelia: Role of cell-cell adhesions and the nuclear lamina | Lori Wallrath, PhD and Kris, PhD DeMali |
| Mar. 2, 2023 | Dr. Michael Wolfe, University of Kansas | CANCELED | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Mar. 23, 2023 | Justin Ling, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | Structures and non-canonical functions of E3 ubiquitin ligases in DNA damage bypass | Mentor: Todd Washington, PhD |
| Mar. 30, 2023 | Dr. Michael Guertin, University of Connecticut | Kinetic networks identify key regulatory nodes and transcription factors in differentiation cascades | David Price, PhD |
| Apr. 4, 2023 | Kathryn Hobbs, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | Caspase-7 Allostery and Drug Targeting | Mentor: Ashley Spies, PhD |
| Apr. 6, 2023 | Dr. Banu Ozkan, Arizona State University | Protein Evolution and Monod's Second Secret of Life | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Apr. 13, 2023 | Dr. Jonathan Bird, University of Florida | How a myosin motor shapes the actin cytoskeleton to detect sound | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Apr. 20, 2023 | Dr. Ben Major, Washington University in St. Louis | Intricacies and Implications of the KEAP1/NRF2 Signaling Pathway in Disease | Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Apr. 27, 2023 | Dr. Lokesh Gakhar, PAQ Therapeutics | Unlocking the Power of Autophagy-dependent Targeted Degradation | Todd Washington, PhD and Ernesto Fuentes, PhD (Co-sponsored by the Protein and Crystallography Facility) |
| May 3, 2023 | Emily Lavering, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | Examining membraneless compartmentalization in the nucleolus | Mentor: Daniel Weeks, PhD |
Fall 2021 - Spring 2022
Fall 2021 - Spring 2022
| Date | Name | Title | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2021 | |||
| Sept. 16, 2021 | Dr. Michael Trakselis, Baylor University | Dynamic Regulation of Replisome Progression | Maria Spies, PhD and Todd Washington, PhD |
| Sept. 21, 2021 | Dr. Alissa Armstrong, University of South Carolina | Nutritional control of Drosophila oogenesis mediated by fat-to-ovary communication | Lori Wallrath, PhD and Tina Tootle, PhD |
| Oct. 14, 2021 | Dr. Liyang Zhang, Integrated DNA Technologies, Coralville, IA | Engineered genome editing enzymes with enhanced activities | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Oct. 21, 2021 | Dr. John Cooper, University of Washington | Regulation of Actin Capping Protein at Membranes | Kris DeMali, PhD and Pete Rubenstein, PhD |
| Oct. 22, 2021 | Colton Lankford, Molecular Medicine, Thesis Defense Seminar | Function and regulation of the photoreceptor hyperpolarization-gated channel HCN1 | Mentor: Sheila Baker, PhD |
| Nov. 4, 2021 | Dr. Claudio Punzo, University of Massachusetts Medical School | Role of Photoreceptor metabolism in retinal diseases | Sheila Baker, PhD |
| Nov. 11, 2021 | Dr. Wendy Gordon, University of Minnesota | Decoding mechanotransduction mechanisms of cell surface receptors | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Nov. 16, 2021 | Fletcher Bain, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase 1 G-quadruplex DNA Binding and AutoPARylation is Dependent on DNA Sequence and Secondary Structure | Mentor: Maria Spies, PhD |
| Nov. 18, 2021 | Dr. Borden Lacy, Vanderbilt University | Structures and functions of the Clostridioides difficile toxins | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Nov. 19, 2021 | Kelli Davie, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | The Regulation of Endothelial Lipase and Lipoprotein Lipase by ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL8 | Mentor: Brandon Davies, PhD |
Spring 2022 | |||
| Mar. 3, 2022 | Dr. Jessica Maiers, Indiana University School of Medicine | The Unfolded Protein Response as a Crucial Regulator of Hepatic Fibrogenesis | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Mar. 24, 2022 | Dr. Heather Hundley, Indiana University School of Medicine | Rewiring the genome: Molecular Mechanisms that Regulate RNA Editing | Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Mar. 31, 2022 | Dr. Francisco Schopfer, University of Pittsburgh | Furan fatty acids: Incognito metabolic players in fish oil | Brandon Davies, PhD |
| Apr. 1, 2022 | Christopher Ball, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | Mechanisms of transcriptional control during HCMV infection | Mentor: David Price, PhD |
| Apr. 7, 2022 | Dr. Polly Fordyce, Stanford University | Microfluidics for high-throughput biophysics and biochemistry | Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Apr. 14, 2022 | Dr. Gregory Rogers, University of Arizona Health Sciences | Centrosome loss results in an unstable genome and malignant prostate tumors | Pamela Geyer, PhD |
| Apr. 21, 2022 | Dr. Jason Gertz, University of Utah | Functional dissection of estrogen receptor alpha bound enhancers | Miles Pufall, PhD |
Fall 2020 - Spring 2021
Fall 2020 - Spring 2021
| Date | Name | title | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2020 | |||
| Sept. 10, 2020 | Dr. Antonis Kourtidis, Medical University of South Carolina | Close encounters of the RNAi kind: the silencing life of the adherens junctions | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Oct. 8, 2020 | Dr. Sandipan Chowdhury, University of Iowa | Understanding multi-state gating of ion channels: lessons from cryo-electron microscopy and thermodynamics | Madeline Shea, PhD |
| Nov. 5, 2020 | Panelists: Drs. Kris DeMali, Ernesto Fuentes, Madeline Shea, David Price, and Maria Spies | "How to Find a Good Post-Doctoral Fellowship" | |
| Nov. 12, 2020 | Panelists: Kelli Davie, Alicia Salvi, and Drs. Brandon Davies, Pam Geyer, and Todd Washington | "How to Write a Killer Fellowship Application" | |
| Nov. 19, 2020 | Panelists: Drs. Xiao Peng, Lacy Barton, Young Joo Sun, Elizabeth Boehm, and Liyang Zhang | "What to Expect From the First Year of a Post-Doctoral Fellowship/Scientific Job" | |
Spring 2021 | |||
| Feb. 4, 2021 | Dr. John Stamatoyannopoulos, University of Washington | Programming the Human Genome | Biochemistry Graduate Students |
| Feb. 18, 2021 | Dr. Kun-Liang Guan, University of California San Diego | The Hippo pathway in cell growth, organ size control, and cancer | Biochemistry Graduate Students |
| Feb. 25, 2021 | Dr. Cheryl Stucky, Medical College of Wisconsin | Skin Matters: Keratinocytes Contribute to Touch, Thermal Sensation and Pain | Sheila Baker, PhD |
| Mar. 25, 2021 | Dr. Sonja Schmid, Wageninegin University, Netherlands | Protein Dynamics Across Timescales | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Apr. 08, 2021 | Dr. Xiaolan Zhao, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | Regulating two branches the DNA damage response | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Apr. 15, 2021 | Dr. Kyle Roux, Stanford Research | Nuclear Rupture, repair and beyond | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Apr. 22, 2021 | Dr. Seychelle Vos, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Pause & Go: Structurally elucidating mammalian RNA polymerase II regulation | David Price, PhD |
| May 26, 2021 | Colleen Caldwell, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | RPA DNA-binding domain dynamics: A target for homologous recombination regulation | Mentor: Maria Spies, PhD |
| July 6, 2021 | Alicia Salvi, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | Mechanisms of Force Transmission | Mentor: Kris DeMali, PhD |
| July 7, 2021 | Diamond Jelani, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | Chemical regulation of two-component systems: a study of the regulation of Staphylococcus aureus two-component systems, SrrAB and ArlRS, through the effects of small molecules | Mentor: Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| July 8, 2021 | Robert McDonnell, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Defense Seminar | Modeling RNAs: From Small Molecules to Bacterial Polysomes | Mentor: Adrian Elcock, PhD |
Fall 2019 - Spring 2020
Fall 2019 - Spring 2020
| date | name | title | host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2019 | |||
| Sept. 12, 2019 | Dr. Vadim Gaponenko, University of Illinois at Chicago | Biased Antagonism of G-protein Coupled Receptors | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Sept. 26, 2019 | Dr. Erika Geisbrecht, Kansas State University | Through thick and thin: the path towards muscle proteostasis | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Oct. 3, 2019 | Dr. Robin Dowell, University of Colorado Boulder | Unlocking transcription factor activity from nascent transcription | Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Oct. 24, 2019 | Dr. Jeffrey Hayes, University of Rochester | Histone H1- A nexus for chromatin regulation | Biochemistry Graduate Students |
| Nov. 6, 2019 | Julio Sanchez, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Characterization of the DNA binding activity of the BRG1-AT-hook-bromodomain | Mentor: Catherine Musselman, PhD |
| Nov. 7, 2019 | Dr. Megan King, Yale University | Mechanotransduction through the LINC complex: From integrins to the nuclear lamina | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Nov. 14, 2019 | Dr. Sandra K. Weller, University of Connecticut | New insights into the mechanism of Herpes Simplex Virus DNA replication: Role of viral nuclease and a DNA binding protein that promotes annealing | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Nov. 21, 2019 | Dr. Jill Dowen, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill | DNA loop structures important for gene expression and cellular identity | Pamela Geyer, PhD |
| Dec. 12, 2019 | Melissa Gildenberg, MSTP, Thesis Defense Seminar | The structure and function of fork remodeling helicase Rad5 | Mentor: Todd Washington, PhD |
Spring 2020 | |||
| Jan. 30, 2020 | Dr. Jeff Savas, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine | Impaired turnover of the synaptic vesicle machinery in amyloid beta proteoxocitity | Sheila Baker, PhD |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | Dr. Dana Carroll, University of Utah School of Medicine | Genome Editing: A view from the edge | Maria Spies, PhD and Miles Pufall, PhD (Co-sponsored with the Distinguished Biomedical Scholars Lecture Series) |
| Feb. 13, 2020 | Dr. Daved Fremont, Washington University School of Medicine | Mechanisms of viral immune evasion | Ernie Fuentes, PhD |
| Feb. 27, 2020 | Dr. Christy Hagan, University of Kansas Medical Center | Progesterone-mediated immune evasion in breast cancer | Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Mar. 5, 2020 | Dr. Richard Maraia, Senior Investigator, NIH | La and the La-related protein-4; tRNA & mRNA metabolism, codon surveillance, and decay | David Price, PhD |
| Apr. 8, 2020 | Nitija Tiwari, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Regulatory mechanisms of the S. aureus SrrAB two-component system | Mentor: Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| June 16, 2020 | Brittany Ripley, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Regulated recruitment of translesion synthesis polymerases through direct interactions with Rad6-18 | Mentor: Todd Washington, PhD |
| July 2, 2020 | Devin Reusch, Biochemistry, MS Thesis Defense Seminar | Time lapsed X-Ray Chrystallography of DNA Polymerase ι | Mentor: Todd Washington, PhD |
Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
| date | name | title | host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2018 | |||
| Sept. 6, 2018 | Dr. Chun Han, Cornell University | Recognition of degenerating neurons and new CRISPR tools in Drosophila | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Sept. 13, 2018 (Henry Bull Lecture) | Dr. Dale Wigley, Imperial College London | Structure and mechanism of INO80 and SWR1 chromatin remodeling complexes | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Oct. 4, 2018 | Dr. Raluca Gordan, Duke University | Transcription factor binding at damaged DNA sites and its potential role in mutagenesis | Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Oct. 11, 2018 | Dr. Arthur Cooper, New York Medical College | ω-Amidase: An Underappreciated, but Important Enzyme in L-Glutamine and L-Asparagine Metabolism Relevance to Sulfur and Nitrogen Metabolism, Tumor Biology and Hyperammonemic Disease | Eric Taylor, PhD |
| Oct. 25, 2018 | Dr. Melanie Samuels, Baylor College of Medicine | Genetic Modulators of neuronal resilience | Sheila Baker, PhD |
| Nov. 8, 2018 | Dr. Jerrold Turner, Harvard University | Stemming the tide: Mechanisms and impact of mucosal barrier regulation | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Nov. 29, 2018 | Dr. A. Joshua Wand, University of Pennsylvania | The dark energy of proteins comes to light: Entropy in molecular recognition by proteins | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Dec. 10, 2018 | Lalita Oonthonpan, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Two Human Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier Mutations Reveal Distinct Mechanisms of Molecular Pathogenesis | Mentor: Eric Taylor, PhD |
| Dec. 14, 2018 | Sean Tompkins, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Mitochondrial Pyruvate Transport Regulates a Glutamine Switch Controlling Hepatocellular Tumorigenesis | Mentor: Eric Taylor, PhD |
Spring 2019 | |||
| Feb. 7, 2019 | Dr. Anthony Kowalczyk, Emory Univeristy | Cadherins as Modulators of Tissue Architecture in Development and Disease | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Feb. 14, 2019 | Dr. Alain Nicolas, Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Paris, France | Role of G-quadruplexes in genome instability and sequence evolution | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Feb. 28, 2019 | Jacob Litman, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Advanced optimization and sampling techniques for biomolecules using a polarizable force field | Mentor: Michael Schnieders, PhD |
| Mar. 11, 2019 | Tyler Weaver, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Regulation of polycomb repressive complexes by histone reader domains | Mentor: Catherine Musselman, PhD |
| Mar. 14, 2019 | Dr. Natasha Snider, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill | Proteostasis of intermediate filaments: Disease models, tools and mechanisms | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Apr. 11, 2019 | Dr. Andrei Karginov, University of Illinois at Chicago | Sythetic Biology Approaches for Interrogation of Cell Signaling | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Apr. 18, 2019 | Dr. Daniel Starr, University of California Davis | Moving nuclei through constructed spaces; how the nuclear envelope interacts with the cytoskeleton | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Apr. 23, 2019 | Lata Symposium | 15th Annual Gene F. Lata Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Symposium | Department of Biochemistry |
| Apr. 25, 2019 | Dr. Erika Matunis, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine | Stem cell dynamics in the Drosophila testis niche | Pamela Geyer, PhD |
| May 14, 2019 | Dr. Thomas Magin, Universitat Leipzig | Intermediate filament proteins as integrators of tissue organization and metabolism | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| June 18, 2019 | Hannah Campbell, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Mechanisms of E-cadherin force transmission | Mentor: Kris DeMali, PhD |
Fall 2017 - Spring 2018
Fall 2017 - Spring 2018
| date | name | title | host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2017 | |||
| Aug. 31, 2017 | Lokesh Gakhar, University of Iowa | Putting Humpty Dumpty Together with Integrative Structural Biology | Department of Biochemistry |
| Sept. 7, 2017 | Vladmir Uverskey, University of South Florida | Intrinsic Disorder and Protein Structure-Function Continuum | Sheila Baker, PhD |
| Sept. 28, 2017 | Anthony Koleske, Yale University | Adhesive and cytoskeletal control of synapse development | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Oct. 5, 2017 | Eric Taylor, University of Iowa | Mitochondrial Pyruvate Transport: Fuel to the Fire in Progressive Liver Disease | Department of Biochemistry |
| Oct. 17, 2017 | Michael Schnieders, University of Iowa | Application of Novel Computational Molecular Biophysics Algorithms to Genetic Diseases | Department of Biochemistry |
| Oct. 17, 2017 | Miles Pufall, University of Iowa | Sequence and signaling: Uncovering glucocorticoid specificity to improve disease treatment | Department of Biochemistry |
| Oct. 26, 2017 | Ilya Finkelstein, University of Iowa | From single-molecules to genomes: High-throughput biophysics of CRISPR adaptive immunity | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Oct. 30, 2017 | Liyang Zhang, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Linking DNA binding specificity to activity | Mentor: Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Nov. 2, 2017 | Scott Rothbart, Van Andel Institute | Molecular Mechanisms of Epigenetic Regulation | Catherine Musselman, PhD |
| Nov. 9, 2017 | James Hagman,N ational Jewish Health | Epigenetic Regulation in Lymphocyte Development | Miles Pufall, PhD |
| Nov. 30, 2017 | Yan Chemla, University of Illinois | Molecular switch control of nucleic-acid processing machines | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Dec. 7, 2017 | Marcus Noyes, New York University | Low affinity protein-ligand interactions are often overlooked, but critical for biological function | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
Spring 2018 | |||
| Feb. 1, 2018 | Dr. Emily Dykhuizen, Purdue University | The tumor suppressive role of Polybromo-1, a subunity of the PBAF chromatin remodeling complex | Catherine Musselman, PhD |
| Feb. 8, 2018 | Dr. Didier Hodzic, Washington University School of Medicine | Multiple isoforms of Nesprin1 are integral compnents of ciliary rootlets | Sheila Baker, PhD |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | Dr. Edwin Antony, Marquette University | ABCD-The Language of Replication Protein A | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Mar. 1, 2018 | Dr. Sanjeevi Sivansankar, Iowa State University | Biophysics of cadherin adhesion: How cells sense and respond to force | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Mar. 22, 2018 | Cancelled: Dr. Jerrold Turner, Harvard Medical School | Mechanisms and impact of mucosal barrier regulation | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| March 29, 2018 | Dr. Ken Dill, Stony Brook University | How cellular decisions are encoded in its proteome's physical chemistry | Biochem Grad Students |
| Apr. 11, 2018 | Kyle Powers, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Structure and function of the disordered tails in translesion synthesis DNA polymerases | Mentor: Todd Washington, PhD |
| Apr. 12, 2018 | Dr. Bret D. Freudenthal, University of Kansas Medical Center | From a Hawkeye to a Jayhawk: Studies of DNA damage and repair | Maria Spies, PhD and Todd Washington, PhD |
| Apr. 13, 2018 | Mark Miller,Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Use of osmotic coefficient measurements to validate and to correct the interaction thermodynamics of amino acids in molecular dynamics simulations | Mentor: Adrian Elcock, PhD |
| Apr. 20, 2018 | Venkata Sanaboyana, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Profess towards molecular simulations of plasmid segreagation in E. coli | Mentor: Adrian Elcock, PhD |
| Apr. 26, 2018 | Dr. Xu Liu, Postdoctoral Fellow, Emory University | A Structural Perspective on Epigentic Regulation: Inhibitor Development and Gene Evolution | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Apr. 26, 2018 | Dr. Vincenzo Venditti, Iowa State University | Conformational dynamics-mediated self-regulatory mechanisms in large multi-domain enzymes | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| June 1, 2018 | Quinn Li, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Elucidating Enzyme Catalytic Power and Protein-Ligand Dynamics | Mentor: Ashley Spies, PhD |
| June 11, 2018 | Emily Malcolm, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Regulation of plasma tryclycerides by ANGPTL4 and GPIHBP1 | Mentor: Brandon Davies, PhD |
| July 12, 2018 | Wesley Lay, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Optimizing computer simulation models for carbohydrates and proteins at the atomistic and coarse-grained level | Mentor: Adrian Elcock, PhD |
| July 13, 2018 | Arpit Sharma, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Loss of the Skeletal Muscle Mitrochondrial Pyruvate Carrier Drives Cori Cycling and Whole-body Leanness | Mentor: Eric Taylor, PhD |
Fall 2016 - Spring 2017
Fall 2016 - Spring 2017
| date | name | title | host |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2016 | |||
| Sept. 1, 2016 | Kent Hill, University of California LA | More than an oar: Propulsion and signaling function of the trypanosome cilium | John Donelson, PhD |
| Sept. 8, 2016 | Filip Van Petegem, University of British Columbia | Channelopathies at High Resolution: Sodium- & Calcium-Selective Channels in Normal and Diseased States | Madeline Shea, PhD |
| Sept. 22, 2016 | Rafael Garcia-Mata, University of Toledo | Regulation of RhoG signaling in focal adhesions, invadopodia and cell-cell junctions | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Sept. 29, 2016 | Jasper Rine, University of California Berkeley | Epigenetics, metabolism and gene silencing | Brandon Davies, PhD (Co-sponsored by MCB) |
| Oct. 20, 2016 | Sheila Baker, University of Iowa | Interrogating bottlenecks and building problems for a pair of ion channels | Department of Biochemistry |
| Oct. 27, 2016 | Nick Fitzkee, Mississippi State University | Developing a molecular understanding of gold nanopartical-protein interactions | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Nov. 3, 2016 | Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, University of California Davis | Multi-invasion induced chromosomal rearrangements and chromothripsis | Maria Spies, PhD |
| Nov. 10, 2016 | Dr. Susan Strome, University of California Santa Cruz | Transmitting an epigenetic "memory of germline" across generations and through development | Biochemistry Graduate Students |
| Dec. 1, 2016 | Dr. Sandra Gabelli, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine | Calmodulation of voltage-gated sodium channels | Madeline Shea, PhD |
| Dec. 8, 2016 | Dr. Michael Welte, University of Rochester | As the fat flies: lipid droplets as modulations of histone metabolism | Pamela Geyer, PhD and Tina Tootle, PhD (Co-sponsored by MCB & ACB) |
Spring 2017 | |||
| Jan. 26, 2017 | Dr. Dave Sept, University of Michigan | The Structure and Function of Actin | Adrian Elcock, PhD |
| Feb. 2, 2017 | Dr. David Gilbert, Florida State University | Developmental control of replication timing and chromosome architecture | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Feb. 9, 2017 | Dr. Jennifer Strande, Medical College of Wisconsin | Translating urine into disease relevant model systems: Using iPSCs to study DMD cardiomyopathy | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Feb. 23, 2017 | Dr. Yukiko Yamashita, University of Michigan | Stem cells and germ cells: Secrets of immortality | Pamela Geyer, PhD (Co-Sponsored with MCB) |
| Mar. 23, 2017 | Dr. Zhen Yan, Tsinghua University | Structural investigation of excitation-contraction coupling | Charles Brenner, PhD |
| Apr. 6, 2017 | Dr. S. Saif Hasan, Purdue University | A potent cross-linking human antibody neutralizes zika virus infection | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Apr. 27, 2017 | Dr. Carlos Castaneda, Syracuse University | ALS and Ubiquilin-2: Biophysical Insights into Ubiquilin-2 Structure and Function | Catherine Musselman, PhD |
| May 2, 2017 | Lata Symposium | 13th Annual Gene F. Lata Undergraduate Honors Symposium | Department of Biochemistry |
| May 9, 2017 | Dr. Vance Lemmon, University of Miami | Functional Genomics and Spinal Cord Injury | Meng Wu, PhD (Co-Sponsored with Pharmacy and Iowa Neuroscience Institute) |
| May 10, 2017 | John Brogie, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Reconstitution and functional analysis of 7SK snRNP | Mentor: David Price, PhD |
| May 11, 2017 | Jennifer Bays, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Mechanisms of E-cadherin Mechanotransduction | Mentor: Kris DeMali, PhD |
| May 12, 2017 | Sarah Hengel, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Dissecting RAD52 function in DNA repair | Mentor: Maria Spies, PhD |
Spring 2016
Spring 2016
| Date | name | title | host |
|---|---|---|---|
Spring 2016 | |||
| Jan. 25, 2016 | Dr. Daniel Minor, University of California San Francisco | Ion channels that break and buckle in response to temperature and pressure | Todd Washington, PhD |
| Jan. 28, 2016 | Dr. Amy Keating, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Protein-peptide interactions that control apoptosis-Our adventures in Bh3 space | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Feb. 2, 2016 | Dr. Brian Volkman, Medical College of Wisconsin | Structural basis for chemokine-receptor recognition and inhibition | Todd Washington, PhD |
| Feb. 4, 2016 | Dr. Haian Fu, Emory University | Interrogating protein-protein interactions in cancer | Meng Wu, PhD (Co-sponsored by HCCC and MNPC) |
| Feb. 25, 2016 | Dr. Frank Fan, Promega Corporation, Madison | Real time, live cell analysis using bioluminescence technologies | Meng Wu, PhD (Co-sponsored by CBB and MNPC) |
| Mar. 24, 2016 | Dr. Bernard Weissman, University of North Carolina | De-BAFling the role of SWI/SNF complex loss in human tumor development | Kris DeMali, PhD |
| Mar. 31, 2016 | Dr. Janet Partridge, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | Dissecting chromatin function in fission yeast-from heterochromatin to disease pathogenesis | Lori Wallrath, PhD |
| Apr. 7, 2016 | Dr. Jeff Sekelsky, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill | How Bloom syndrome helicase both prevents and promotes recombination | Pamela Geyer, PhD |
| Apr. 20, 2016 | Zhen Xu, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | Autoinhibition of guanine nucleotide exchage factor TIAM1 | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| Apr. 26, 2016 | Lata Symposium | 12th Annual Gene F. Lata Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Symposium | Department of Biochemistry |
| Apr. 28, 2016 | Dr. Andrew B. Herr, Cincinnati Children's Hospital | Biophysics of bugs: Molecular insights into intercellular adhesion in Staphylococcal biofilms | Ernesto Fuentes, PhD |
| May 3, 2016 | Elizabeth Boehm, Biochemistry, Thesis Defense Seminar | The regulation of translesion synthesis through the binding and activation of polymerases by PCNA | Mentor: Todd Washington, PhD |
Please contact the department at biochem@uiowa.edu with questions about seminar speakers scheduled prior to the Spring 2016 term.