Welcome to the Smith Lab at UMBC!
We are an interdisciplinary group of chemists, biochemists, structural biologists, and spectroscopists studying the structure-function relationship of metalloproteins. Specifically, we are interested in how metalloproteins are involved in such crucial biological processes as protein translation, peptide posttranslational modification, nutrient uptake, and protein regulation. Members of the Smith lab have the opportunity to learn a wide array of techniques from molecular biology and protein expression and purification (both soluble and membrane), to structural biology, spectroscopy, and anaerobic techniques. We welcome chemists, biochemists, and molecular biologists alike who are interested in understanding the role of inorganic elements in biological settings!
The group (above, September 2023)
Our Group Is Ironclad!
Latest Lab News
April 2025
Alexander and Chioma's pre-print about the direct sensing of ferrous iron (Fe2+) by the BqsRS/CarRS two-component system was just released in bioRxiv! Read the pre-print here!
Alexander and Harvinder's pre-print in collaboration with the Patrauchan lab describing how BqsR controls ferrous iron (Fe2+) acquisition in P. aeruginosa was just released in bioRxiv! Read the pre-print here!
Alexander, Kate, Misti, and Rajat all presented posters, while Aaron and Misti both gave talks at the 2025 ASBMB National Meeting in Chicago, IL!
Darryn wooed the crowd by presenting his work with Alexander and the Franz lab on inhibition of metallo-β-lactamases at URCAD 29! Way to go!!
March 2025
Caleb was accepted to the BSG MSRP Bio program at MIT and will spend the summer learning structural biology in the Johnson lab there! Way to go!!
Misti and Alexander gave talks at the 8th annual UMBC Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Research Day, and Rajat gave a poster presentation. Rajat also won the post-candidacy research award, keeping a strong streak alive for our lab! Way to go!
February 2025
Rajat successfully pased his candidacy exam and is now a PhD candidate! Way to go!!
Kate attended and presented at the Maryland LSAMP conference in College Park, MD!
January 2025
The lab welcomes new undergraduate researches Branwen She and Tayyiba Bari!
December 2024
Jeanne Ngo has joined the group as a Ph.D. student! Welcome to the lab!
Mark's and Candice's paper characterizing Vibrio cholerae FeoB in a SMALP was just accepted in BBA-Biomembranes! Congratulations! Read the paper here.
Misti passed her independent proposal! Way to go! Last step: Ph.D. thesis defense!
Candice successfully pased her candidacy exam and is now a PhD candidate! Way to go!!
Misti's collaborative paper with the Deredge Lab (UMB) and the Zhang Lab (UMiami) identifying and characterizing an IDR in ATE1 was just accepted in Biochemistry! Congratulations, Misti! Read the paper here.
November 2024
We are both sad and proud to bid adieu to Dr. Mark Lee as he moves onto a postdoctoral researcher position in the lab of Prof. Amie Boal at Penn State University! You will be missed!!
October 2024
Alexander passed his independent proposal! Way to go! Last step: Ph.D. thesis defense!
Aaron presented the lab's work on FeoB at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts!
The lab took part in the second Mid-Atlantic Frontiers in Metals and Medicine Symposium at the UMB School of Pharmacy, and Aaron gave a talk about the lab's work on the BqsRS system!
September 2024
Aaron presented the lab's work on ATE1 at the Protein Termini meeting in Oxford, England!
August 2024
Misti's collaborative paper with the Deredge Lab (UMB) and the Zhang Lab (UMiami) identifying and characterizing an IDR in ATE1 was just deposited in bioRxiv. Read the paper here!
The lab is so proud if its newest Ph.D. recipient Dr. Mark Lee! CONGRATULATIONS AND WAY TO GO, DR. LEE!!
Mark's paper on the nucleotide promiscuity of Vibrio cholerae FeoB in collaboration with the Payne lab at UT-Austin was just accepted in J. Biol. Chem. Read the paper here!
July 2024
The lab is super pleased to have our R35 grant renewed for 5 more years! Thank you to NIH-NIGMS for continuous support of our research program!
Congratulations to Kate Magante who received an NSF USM Post-Baccalaureate Research Experience for LSAMP Students (PRELS) award, 1 of only 10 awards given to trainees from University of Maryland, College Park, UMBC, Townson, and Eastern Shore! WAY TO GO!!
June 2024
Aaron presented the lab's work at the XI International Fe-S Conference in Winston-Salem, NC.
The lab welcomes new undergraduate researchers Rya Holzman, John McKenna Soto, and Caleb Zelecke!
May 2024
Mark's paper on the nucleotide promiscuity of Vibrio cholerae FeoB was just deposited in bioRxiv. Read the paper here!
The lab welcomes new post-doctoral scholar Harvinder Singh!
Congratulations to all of the lab members who participated and helpd organize and execute the 2024 FCBIS at UMBC! What a great meeting!
Congratulations to Misti who was awarded a prestigious CBI internship for 10 weeks at St. Jude's Children's Research hospital in Memphis, TN! WAY TO GO!!
Congratulations to Mark for receiving the Robert F. Steiner award in Biochemistry research! WAY TO GO!!
Congratulations to our graduating senior undergraduates Chioma, Jeanne, and Kate: Chioma will be pursuing her Ph.D. in the IBiS program at Northwestern Univeristy, Jeanne will be pursuing their Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry at UMBC, and Kate will be pursuing a post-bac program! We are so proud of you three!!
April 2024
Undergraduates Chioma, Darryn, and Kate did a fantastic job presenting at URCAD 28! Way to go, you three!