Research Areas

The BMB Department’s research programs span a wide range of interconnected disciplines in modern biochemistry and molecular biophysics. Our faculty lead innovative research efforts in the following thematic areas:

Lipid Biochemistry and Metabolism: Exploring the enzymatic pathways and molecular mechanisms that drive lipid biosynthesis and membrane-associated reactions, and metabolic engineering of seed oils for industrial and biofuel applications.

Infectious Disease and Host–Pathogen Interactions: Advancing the understanding of immune evasion, bacterial pathogenesis, and innate immune responses to infectious agents.

Structural Biochemistry: Investigating protein structure, folding, and function through approaches including NMR spectroscopy, computational biophysics, and molecular recognition studies to reveal how proteins carry out essential cellular roles.

Cell and Developmental Biology: Uncovering the molecular foundations of tissue formation and maintenance, with an emphasis on muscle and heart development, and cell-signaling pathways.

Aging and Longevity: Identifying biochemical and molecular mechanisms of aging and developing therapeutic strategies aimed at improving human healthspan and longevity.

Drug Discovery and Therapeutic Design: Employing structural, biochemical, and computational tools to design and discover new therapeutic molecules targeting infectious diseases, aging, and other major health challenges.

Faculty Research Videos

Faculty member	Video link
Dr. Timothy Durrett
Dr. Brian Geisbrecht
Dr. Erika Geisbrecht