Research Opportunities
St. Mary's College of Maryland Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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This page contains brief research summaries and/or short (2-5 minute) YouTube videos about research opportunities with each of the Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Current students, you should watch these videos before filling our your SMP preferences paperwork. They are arranged alphabetically if you are looking for a particular faculty member.
Geoffrey Bowers
Geoffrey Bowers
A thorough description of our work and many of our current projects can be found here. We also have a useful FAQ page talking about the skills and experiences you pick up as a student in our group. And this awesome trailer:
Dr. Bowers and his group are interested in learning about how atoms and molecules move, stick to, and react in small pores and at solid/fluid (liquids, gases, or supercritical fluids) interfaces. Bowers continues to collaborate with scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to understand reactivity in thin water films on minerals exposed to supercritical carbon dioxide - this work has implications for shale/tight gas extraction, carbon dioxide sequestration, and critical element recovery. One very new project in need of help is making organo-pillared smectite clays for use as selective adsorbants. We use techniques to tune the pore size and pore surface chemistry to make inexpensive materials that selectively take up certain molecules, often those of interest in the environment like artificial sweeteners. We also continue to work on projects investigating the chemistry of fossilized shark teeth, biomineralizations, and the low-T geochemistry of the Calvert Cliffs in collaboration with the Calvert Marine Museum. I'm open to talking about any project that involves behavior at solid/fluid interfaces!
Daniel Chase
Daniel Chase
Synthesis of Reversibly π-Extended Aza-BODIPY Dyes
A major component of research within the Chase Lab is the synthetic exploration of emerging dye scaffolds with a special interest in boron difluorides. One such example is the Aza-BODIPY scaffold which absorbs in the near infrared region (NIR, 600-800 nm) and has current application as a singlet oxygen generator in photodynamic therapy. We are currently exploring both reversible and non-reversible methods of extending the conjugation path length to further push absorption and emission profiles into the NIR region.
Warfare Detection of Strategically Functionalized BODIPY Dyes
A second component of research within the Chase Lab is to find new applications of existing dyes. For example, the BODIPY scaffold has wide utility in the materials and biological sciences as it exhibits intense absorption and emission properties that can be readily tunable. We are currently investigating BODIPYs tethered between a butadiyne linkage where exposure to electrophiles such as chlorine gas would exhibit a noticeable colormetric response.
Yunling Deng
Yunling Deng
Exciting Research Opportunities in the Deng Lab! Are you curious about how proteins work at the molecular level and their potential to improve human health and the environment? Join the Deng Lab, where we study the fascinating molecule heme and its roles in both biology and catalysis.
In one project, we investigate how heme interacts with antioxidant proteins called peroxiredoxins, which could lead to breakthroughs in therapeutic strategies for diseases like cancer and anemia. You’ll learn techniques such as protein purification, heme-binding assays, and advanced structural and biophysical methods. In another project, we engineer cytochrome P450 enzymes to detoxify pollutants through bioremediation. This work involves enzymatic assays, directed evolution, and the use of cutting-edge fluorescent probes to track reaction products.
These interdisciplinary projects expose you to biochemistry, bioengineering, and biocatalysis, all contributing to impactful solutions in therapeutics and sustainability. Whether you’re new to research or an experienced student, you’ll find a welcoming and supportive environment in our lab. Come be a part of our journey to advance science and make a difference!
Randolph Larsen
Randolph Larsen
Developing a methodology for age determination of archeological pottery and brick
Pottery and bricks are some of the most common artifacts discovered in archeological sites. However, carbon dating can not be used on these artifacts since they lack organic carbon. Rehydroxylation dating is a technology first described in the literature in 2003 for the dating of archeological ceramics. We plan to refine the methodology using Thermal Gravimetric Analysis coupled with water sorption analysis to reduce the variability reported in previous studies. We will be using this new methodology on artifacts in the SMCM and HSMC collection.
Raman and IR analysis of microplastics in the local waterways
Microplastics are a growing concern in the aquatic environment. Washington DC government has recently banned plastic straws and other government agencies are looking at similar legislation. Having a good understanding to the current distribution, frequency and abundance of microplastics in the Potomac watershed is critical. This data is needed for developing appropriate regulations and to assess the effectiveness of current regulations. In collaboration with the DC Office of the Environment we are analyzing samples collected in the Potomac Watershed for microplastics by Raman spectrometry.
Pamela Mertz
Pamela Mertz
Regulation of Malate Dehydrogenase by Post-Translational Modifications: Studying the Role of Phosphorylation
Kinases are enzymes that phosphorylate serine, threonine, or tyrosine amino acid residues to put a negative charge in a localized place in a protein. There are separate enzymes called phosphatases that can remove the phosphate group. Thus, phosphorylation status is dynamic inside cells. Phosphorylation can cause a change in three-dimensional structure that either activates or decreases the activity of an enzyme.
I recently wrote a mini review with co-authors, published in Essays in Biochemistry, on evidence supporting the role of phosphorylation on the function of malate dehydrogenase, MDH.1 As outlined in the manuscript, regulation of MDH through phosphorylation is an underexplored area. MDH has a number of predicted potential phosphorylation sites from databases and mass spectrometry data that have not been experimentally tested for function in the wet lab.
One way to study the potential role of a specific phosphorylation site in a protein is to create a site directed mutant in the protein that is a phosphomimetic. To create a phosphomimetic, a serine or threonine amino acid (containing alcohol functional groups) is replaced with an aspartic or glutamic acid amino acid that has a similar size as the original amino acid and has a negatively charged carboxylic acid group. This negative charge mimics the addition of a phosphate group but is more permanent, as a phosphatase cannot remove the negative charge. Thus, this enables the study of this localized, permanent negative charge on protein structure and function.
In addition to using phosphomimetic mutants to further explore the activity of MDH for its usual substrate, oxaloacetate, my lab is also studying a different substrate, alpha ketoglutarate. It has been shown that MDH is able to use alpha ketoglutarate as an alternate substrate, oxidizing it to 2-hydroxyglutaric acid (2-HG).2,3 This occurs under acidic conditions and may play a role in 2-HG production in cancer cells, as 2-HG is a tumor promoting metabolite.4,5.6 My lab is studying the role of phosphorylation as a mechanism to cause the switch from solely using oxaloacetate as a substrate to allow alpha ketoglutarate to bind to the enzyme active site and be converted to 2-HG. This research will help further understanding of the of role of MDH in cancer progression.
References
1. Provost, J.J., Cornely, K. A., Mertz, P. S., Peterson, C., Riley, S. G., Tarbox, H. J., Narasimhan, S. R., Pulido, A. J., Springer, A. L. (2024) Phosphorylation of mammalian cytosolic and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase: Insights into regulation, Essays in Biochemistry, 68:183-198.
2. Hanse, E.A., et al. (2017) Cytosolic malate dehydrogenase activity helps support glycolysis in actively proliferating cells and cancer Oncogene 36:3915-3924.
3. Nadtochiy, S., Schafer, X., Fu, D., et al. (2016) Acidic pH is a metabolic switch for 2-hydroxyglutarate generation and signaling, J. Biol. Chem 291: 20188-20197.
4. Intlekofer, A.M. et al. (2017) L-2-hydroxyglutarate production arises from non-canonical enzyme function at acidic pH, Nat. Chem Biol., 13: 494-500.
5. Liebert, M.A. (2020) 2-Hydroxyglutarate in cancer cells, antioxidants and redox signaling, Antioxid. Redox Signal., 33: 903-926.
6. Du, X., and Hu, H. (2021) The roles of 2-Hydroxyglutarate, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9: 903-921.
Education Research in BioMolecular Visualization
I am an Associate Director of an NSF-funded project, BioMolViz. We study how students learn BioMolecular Visualization skills and how instructors can improve how they teach BioMolecular Visualization. We have published a repository of assessments, the BioMolViz library.
More info about the project can be found here: https://biomolviz.org/about/
Students can get involved in developing teaching activities and improving and testing assessments.
Kelly Neiles
Kelly Neiles
Dr. Neiles's research is in the field of Chemical Education. Her group researches how students learn chemistry and what we as instructors can do to make it a better experience for more students. In her research she investigates how we can intentionally develop and assess scaffolded curricula to increase the inclusive access to STEM disciplines and professions. This means including authentic experiences imbedded into coursework so that every student may benefit from them. She works to develop laboratory experiences that better reflect the practice of science through intensive collaborations and writing exercises. She also works to understand how students are interpreting chemical visualizations that are necessary for deep a understanding of the chemical concepts, research she does using an eye tracker to track students' viewing of these visualizations. All aspects of Dr. Neiles's research are conducted through collaborations with my undergraduate researchers who are involved in every stage of the research process.
Shanen M. Sherrer, Ph.D. (Dr. Sherrer is on leave of absence from Fall 2023 through Summer 2025, not taking on new students during this period)
Shanen M. Sherrer, Ph.D. (Dr. Sherrer is on leave of absence from Fall 2023 through Summer 2025, not taking on new students during this period)
There are limited openings for senior SMP students for the academic year 2025-2026. Non-senior students may be considered for directed research opportunities in Spring 2026 if there is space to accept more research students. Dr. Sherrer will be returning to SMCM from a leave of absence, so it will take time to rebuild her research group.
Dr. Sherrer’s long-term research goals are to identify and to elucidate in vivo functions of proteins shared in multiple DNA processing pathways affected by environmental hazards. Her student-centered research program encompasses interdisciplinary approaches while showing the applicability of research for understanding human health. Currently, the Sherrer group is split into two overarching projects:
1. Studying the biological outcomes of DNA damage caused by environmental sources with a focus on investigating the impact of metals on DNA metabolic pathways.
2. Developing methods and assays to analyze potential inhibitors of DNA-protein interactions that contribute to the development of cancer. This project is dependent on a collaboration with another university and it will only continue if there is project funding available to support it.
Student projects require both novel and classical techniques, which include but are not limited to: chromatography, thermal scanning, molecular cloning, gel electrophoresis, Western blotting, circular dichroism spectroscopy, protein purification, and metal-indicating fluorophores. These techniques are used to monitor the molecular and mechanistic details of DNA damage tolerance and repair while connecting genetic mutations to DNA damage and other cellular stresses. In addition, Dr. Sherrer strives to support undergraduate basic biomedical research while helping students develop skills that prepare them for the scientific workforce.
Troy Townsend
Troy Townsend
Dr. Townsend's research group focuses on applied nanomaterials for printed electronics and functional fluorescent metal coatings. Research students are exposed to synthesis of inorganic nanocrystals that can be made small enough to be dispersed in solvents for ink-jet printing. By layering nanomaterials, electronic devices such as photovoltaics and LEDs can be fabricated and tested. After synthesis and deposition, students learn how to characterize their materials with Atomic Force Microscopy, UV/Vis Spectroscopy, Hall Electrical Measurements, XRF and FTIR. In addition to Ink-Jet Printing, our group works on electrochemical deposition of metal composite films with unique properties. By incorporating foreign particles into a metal film, the materials properties such as hardness, durability, fluorescence, can be tuned. Students working on electrochemistry projects are exposed to electrochemistry, metal plating and redox reactions. Check out our SMCM group site for more information https://sites.google.com/smcm.edu/townsendresearchgroupsmcm/home
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