Biochemistry Research @ MHC
New in 2021-2022: all students should use the Chemistry and/or Biology department's research application forms to apply to the labs below!
*Last updated February 2020
Biochemistry Program
Faculty Research Information
Spring 2020
Jason Andras’ research group explores the ecological and evolutionary interactions between animals and their microbial symbionts. Our current research focuses primarily on the coevolution between freshwater zooplankton of the genus Daphnia and one of their highly specific bacterial parasites, Pasteuria ramosa. Our research pursues questions over a range of spatial and conceptual scales, from the biology of populations in their natural habitat down to the molecular mechanisms that govern the interactions among organisms.
Interested in learning more or joining the lab?
Students often join the group in their sophomore or junior years.
Students are asked to commit to at least two semesters of independent study, and often stay on campus for at least one summer to carry out their research.
Please contact Jason to learn more (jandras@mtholyoke.edu).
Katie Berry’s research group asks questions at the interface of biochemistry and bacterial molecular genetics. We study the molecular mechanisms of bacterial regulatory RNAs and their protein chaperones. With a newly developed genetic assay to detect protein-RNA interactions inside of living bacterial cells, we can study the effects of point mutations on RNA-protein interactions and conduct unbiased screens to find mutations that alter RNA-protein binding, or even to identify novel RNA chaperone proteins!
Interested in learning more or joining the lab?
Visit tinyurl.com/berrylab to read more about our work.
Students often join the lab in their sophomore year (typically as they take Bio 230) and spend at least one summer at MHC in the lab. It’s never too early to be in touch about your interest!
Contact Katie (kberry@mtholyoke.edu) to set up a time to chat and learn more!
Kyle Broaders’ research group is focused on the interface of polymeric materials and living cells. We use techniques from organic, polymer, and materials chemistry to make polymeric materials that respond to or influence the behavior of biological entities. Applications of our work include immunotherapy, drug delivery, biosensors, and the study of cellular adhesion.
Interested in learning more or joining the lab?
Visit broaderslab.mtholyoke.edu to read more about our work
You can fill out the google form there to share your interest in research and follow up by email (broaders@mtholyoke.edu) for a time to meet.
Students at all levels are invited to apply, but experience with organic chemistry is preferred.
Amy Camp’s research group studies the bacterium Bacillus subtilis to ask fundamental questions about how bacteria communicate and regulate gene expression during development. In one project, we are investigating a novel channel apparatus that connects two adjacent bacterial cells, perhaps allowing one cell to “feed” the other. In a second project, we are interested in the circuitry that allows a bacterial cell to “switch” from early to late patterns of gene expression. We employ methods from microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and microscopy, and collaborate with biologists and biochemists around the world, to answer these and other questions.
Interested in learning more or joining the lab?
Students often join in their sophomore or junior years, typically after taking BIOL 230 (Cell and Molecular Biology).
Ideally, students will stay for at least one summer to carry out research. Many students complete a thesis in their senior year based on their research in the lab!
Spots will be open for students to join the lab starting in Fall 2018.
Please contact Amy (acamp@mtholyoke.edu) to learn more, I love meeting students and chatting about science. It’s not too soon to be in touch!
Katie McMenimen’s research group is interested in questions broadly related to protein-protein interactions. We use many tools from biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, and materials chemistry to probe fundamental questions about the structure and function of proteins, focusing on proteins involved in aggregation diseases. Students in our research group have backgrounds in chemistry, biochemistry, and neuroscience.
Interested in learning more or joining the lab?
We welcome interested students to contact Katie via email (kamcmeni@mtholyoke.edu) to get more information about the group
Students often join during their sophomore year and plan to stay during at least one summer during their time at MHC
Get in touch sooner rather than later! We welcome all experience levels and interests!
Alan van Giessen’s research group focuses on using molecular simulation to determine the factors that affect the stability of proteins in the dense cellular environment. We have two main directions to our work. Firstly, we are interested in how protein-protein interactions, through both direct intermolecular interactions and excluded volume effects, affect the thermal and thermodynamic stability of a given protein. Secondly, we are concerned with the phenomenon of cold denaturation, when a protein spontaneously denatures at cold temperatures, and how the crowded cellular environment prevents this from happening in living organisms.
Interested in learning more or joining the lab?
Contact Alan at vangiess@mtholyoke.edu
Students often join the lab at the end of their first year or as sophomores.
Coding skills are a plus, but not mandatory.
Craig Woodard’s research group examines metamorphosis in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, in an attempt to understand how steroid hormones and the genes they regulate control biological processes such as development, programmed cell death, tissue remodeling, and insulin signaling. By examining the molecular genetic mechanisms that direct fly metamorphosis, we hope to gain a better understanding of how steroid hormones control biological processes in all animals.
Interested in learning more or joining the lab?
Contact Craig at cwoodard@mtholyoke.edu
Students often join in their sophomore or junior years, typically after taking BIOL 230 (Cell and Molecular Biology).
Spots will be open for students to join the lab starting in Fall 2018.
Rebeccah Lijek’s research group investigates how the immune system interacts with disease-causing bacteria. Ongoing lab projects focus on the sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis and how it triggers immunopathology in the uterus and ovaries. We also develop and test novel vaccines against Chlamydia. The Lijek Lab welcomes students interested in using molecular biology, cell culture, and mouse models to study the intersection of microbiology, immunology, and women’s health.
Interested in learning more or joining the lab?
Students often join in their sophomore or junior years, typically after taking BIOL230 (Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology), though this is not a requirement.
Students should plan to spend at least one summer in the lab doing full-time research.
Contact Becki at rlijek@mtholyoke.edu to learn more!