Welcome to the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Chair
Vice Chair
As one of the first departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the nation, we are proud of our strong tradition of combining cutting-edge technology with impactful biology. We continue to leverage this interdisciplinary approach to yield break-through discoveries in biomedicine.
Our faculty of over 30 primary and secondary members cover a broad range of research areas, with particular strengths in structural biology, chemical biology, gene regulation and protein folding.
We are also the proud home of the Eldridge Reeves Johnson Research Foundation which offers advanced physical instrumentation and instruction to researchers across campus.
We are actively growing, with several recent hires, and our faculty are broadly engaged across campus with many joint appointments in other departments, institutes and centers.
We welcome you to learn more about our department in the following pages or contact us.
News & Publications
- Garcia Lab Collaborates in Nature Communications
February 2020
A computational platform for high-throughput analysis of RNA sequences and modifications by mass spectrometry - Matschinsky receives Rolf Luft Award
February 2020
Congratulations Franz M. Matschinsky, MD for receiving the 2020 Rolf Luft Award from the Karolinska Institute for outstanding scientific contribution in endocrinology and diabetes - Marmorstein Lab in Nature Communications
February 2020
Molecular basis for N-terminal acetylation by human NatE and its modulation by HYPK - Shorter and Englander Labs in JBC
February 2020
Structural and mechanistic insights into Hsp104 function revealed by synchrotron x-ray footprinting
Faculty Spotlight
Mark Sellmyer
Mark Sellmyer is an assistant professor with appointments in the Department of Radiology and in Biochemistry & Biophysics. He is a rising-star in chemical biology and molecular imaging and has received many awards including the Burroughs Welcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists (CAMS) and the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5). Dr. Sellmyer’s lab works onthe development of small molecule, engineered protein, and immune cell technologies that can be leveraged to understand cancer and infection pathogenesis as well as to monitor therapeutic efficacy. His group has experience in chemical synthesis, molecular biology, and preclinical animal models of disease and apply these to tool development for a range of basic science and clinical applications. Most recently, his group developed radiotracers based on the small-molecule antibiotic trimethoprim for imaging infection and engineered immune cells. These radiotracers are now in first-in-human studies.
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