Current Lab Members
Click on a name to scroll to their profileSenior Scientists:Howard Williams
Post-docs: Dao Feng Xiang, Andrew Bigley
Graduate Students:Daniel Hitchcock, Eric Hobbs, Swapnil Ghodge, Anna Vladimirova, Keya Mukherjee, Zhongjie Ren
Undergrads:
Senior Scientists
Howard Williams Joined: 2007
Department: Chemistry
Project: NMR Spectroscopy
Dr. Williams received a B.S. in Chemistry from Duke University in 1971 and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1977 under the direction of Dr. James Coke in the field of organic reaction mechanisms. Following a postdoctoral with Dr. R. M. Silverstein at State University of New York, Syracuse in spectral analysis, he worked as Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M studying insect behavioral compounds. After a brief period as Associate Research Scientist, he received a joint appointment as Senior Scientist with the Department of Entomology and the Center for Biological NMR, Department of Chemistry, then under the direction of Dr. A. Ian Scott, where he managed the NMR facility. Following the passing of Dr. Scott, he has worked with Dr. Raushel performing NMR experiments necessary for his program. He also assists other Chemistry Department scientists in NMR studies using a modern cryoprobe equipped instrument. His research has involved chemical control of insect growth and behavior, studies of enzyme reaction mechanisms, especially in Vitamin B12 and taxol production, identification and conformational analysis of biologically active chemicals, and development of NMR hardware and techniques useful in biochemical studies.
Post-Docs
Dao Feng Xiang
Joined: 2001
Graduate Studies: Bioinorganic at Nanjing University in China
Project: Functional Annotation of COG 1735
Dr. Dao Feng joined our laboratory in 2001. Prior to this she worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Japan at the Research Laboratory of Medical Analysis, Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kumamoto University with Professor Tadayuki Uno. Dao Feng received her Ph. D. in Bioinorganic Chemistry in 1998 from Nanjing University in China and has several years teaching and research experience. Dao Feng is conducting research on the characterization of enzyme active sites and the generation of new catalytic activities.
Andrew Bigley
Joined: Spring 2009
Graduate Studies: Allostery of Glycogen Phosphorylase at Texas A&M University
Project: Directed Evolution of PTE for Degradation of Nerve Agents
Associates of Arts (Business Administration) 2001, San Jacinto College, Pasadena TX
Bachelor of Science (Biological Science) 2003, University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston TX
Doctorate (Biochemistry: Gregory D. Reinhart advisor) 2009 Texas A&M University
Postdoctoral Research Associate (2009-present) Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University
Research: Evolution of phosphotriesterase (PTE) for the efficient degradation of VX nerve agent. Using a combination of rational design, molecular modeling, gene library construction and screening, variants of PTE enhanced in the ability to degrade nerve agent analogs are identified. Variants of interest are kinetically characterized with relevant substrates to determine substrate and stereochemical preferences. The structures of beneficial variants are solved via X-ray Crystallography to identify the structural basis of the enhancements and guide further evolution.
Graduate Students
Daniel Hitchcock
Joined: Spring 2009
Department: Biochemistry and Biophysics
Project: Functional Annotation of COG 0402
Daniel was born in Ponca City, OK and moved to Houston, TX at the age of 6. H attended LoneStar College for 2 years, then finished his degree at Texas A&M with a BS in Chemistry in 2008. He officially became a member of the Raushel Group in April 2009, working for the Department of Biochemistry/Biophysics. His project consists of the functional annotation of COG 0402, which includes cytosine and guanine deaminase. This involves bioinformatics, structural analysis and activity screens. When he's not working, he has too many hobbies to dedicate enough time. He enjoys outdoors stuff, like hiking and skiing. Also he likes working with computers and messing around with his motorcycle. And ice cream sometimes.
Eric Hobbs
Joined: Spring 2009
Department: Biochemistry and Biophysics
Project: Mechanistic Characterization and Functional Annotation of COG 3618
Eric is a native Texan, originally from Haskell, Tx. In 2008 Eric recieved a B.S. in biochemistry from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. After graduation he joined the Biochemistry and biophysics dept. at Texas A&M University, and in 2009 joined the Raushel Super Family and/or Enzyme Factory. Eric's project currently consist of enzyme function discovery in COG 3618 of the amidohydrolase superfamily as well as the mechanistic study of the enzyme LigI (2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid lactonase). In the few hours that Eric isn't working in lab he enjoys outdoor activities such as: soccer, fishing, hiking, snorkeling and scuba diving.
Swapnil Ghodge
Joined: Fall 2009
Department: Chemistry
Project: Mechanistic Characterization of Histidinol Phosphatase, COG 1387
Swapnil Ghodge received his B.Tech. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai in 2009. He joined the Raushel lab in Fall 2009. His research is focused on establishing the mechanistic details of the reaction catalyzed by histidinol phosphate phosphatase, an enzyme involved in the histidine biosynthetic pathway. He is also interested in exploring the unknown functions of enzymes having significant sequence similarity to histidinol phosphate phosphatase. Besides research, he enjoys reading, watching movies and sports and playing soccer.
Anna Vladimirova
Joined: Fall 2009
Department: Chemistry
Project: Functional Annotation of COG 2159
Anna was born in Vidin, Bulgaria and lived there for the first sixteen years of her life. She moved to United States in 1999 and has lived in Texas ever since. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2009 and joined the lab the same year. Currently she is working with 5-carboxyvanillate decarboxylase (Lig W), which is part of the 5,5’-dyhydrovanillate (DDVA) catabolic pathway in Sphingomonas paucimobilis. Her interest also includes function discovery of other enzymes belonging to COG 2159. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, hiking, swimming, and sleeping. Every now and then she also enjoys cooking.
Keya Mukherjee
Joined: Spring 2011
Department: Biochemistry and Biophysics
Project: Kinetic Mechanism of Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase
Keya graduated with a B.Sc degree in Life Sciences from the Ramnarain Ruia College, University of Mumbai in 2007 and a M.Sc. degree in Biotechnology from the University of Essex, UK in 2008. She became an official member of the Raushel Group in April 2011, working for the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Her project consists of mechanistic characterization of Carbamoyl Phosphate synthetase. This work includes kinetic studies, structural analysis and bioinformatics work. Besides research, Keya loves reading, cooking, being outdoors and catching up on some well-earned sleep.
Zhongjie Ren
Joined: Spring 2012
Department: Biochemistry and Biophysics
Project: Kinetic Mechanism of Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase
Zhongjie graduated with a B.Sc degree in Chemistry from Nanjing University in 2011. He became an official member of the Raushel Group in April 2012, student of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. His project consists of expression, purification and mechanistic characterization of Carbon-Phosphorus Lyase complex. This work includes kinetic studies, structural analysis and bioinformatics work. Besides research, Zhongjie loves table tennis, movies, making new friends and being outdoors.
Undergraduate Students