Members
Sam Berry
sberry@g.harvard.eduGraduate Student, Biophysics Program
Sam is a Biophysics PhD student at Harvard interested in the sequence determinants of substrate selectivity in proteins and how conformational dynamics shape protein evolution. He obtained his B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale in 2019...
Rachelle Gaudet
gaudet@fas.harvard.eduProfessor of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Rachelle Gaudet grew up near Quebec City, dreaming of a career in architecture. But she fell in love with science in high school chemistry and completed a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Université de Montréal. That is where she was introduced to...
Nikita Kupko
nkupko@g.harvard.eduGraduate Student, Biophysics Program
Nikita obtained B.A. in Chemistry from Clark University and B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University before joining the Biophysics Ph.D. program at Harvard. In the Gaudet Lab, he is working on structural analysis of several members of the...
Wasan Rafat
wasanrafat@college.harvard.eduUndergraduate Student, CBP and History of Science
Wasan is an undergraduate student concentrating in Chemical and Physical Biology as well as History and Science. She works with Gerardo Zavala to study communication between modules within prodrug peptidases using in vitro biochemical assays. Building on...
Gerardo Zavala
gzavala@fas.harvard.eduGraduate Student , Chemical Biology Program
Gerardo obtained a Bachelor’s in Chemistry from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and is currently completing a Ph.D. in Chemical Biology at Harvard University. He studies the prodrug-activating peptidases by a combination of cryoEM, cell-based...
Alumni
Trainees | Dates (most recent known position) | Project(s) and Other Notes |
PhD Students | ||
Erik Procko (MCB) | 2003-2009 (Chief Scientific Officer (Cyrus Biotechnology) and Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry (UIUC)) | Thesis: General Mechanisms for ABC Transporters revealed by the Transporter associated with Antigen Processing; Additional project: Role of TRPV1 ankyrin repeats in TRPV1 temperature sensitivity and calmodulin interactions |
Ruiqi Rachel Wang (Chem Bio) | 2007-2009 (PhD 2012 with Tom Walz, HMS; Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, CN) | Biochemical characterization of the TRPV ankyrin repeats - the TRPV3 and TRPV4 ankyrin repeats bind ATP and calmodulin |
Luciann L. Cuenca (BBS) | 2009-2014 (PhD 2019 from HMS; Technology Specialist at Lando & Anastasi, LLP) | Structural and functional studies of TRPV1 (NIH F31 Fellow) |
Lukas Bane (MCO) | 2011-2015 (Founder, Extropy Search) | Thesis: Structural and Functional Studies into Nramp Divalent Metal Transporter Mechanisms |
Monique Brewster (MCO) | 2011-2016 (Associate Concentration Advisor of MCB and CPB and Lecturer in MCB, Harvard University) | Thesis: Biochemical studies of TRP channel activation and modulation (NIH F31 Fellow) |
Sriram Srikant (EPB) | 2012-2019 (Deceased 1990-2025) | Thesis: Evolution of Substrate Selectivity in ATP Binding Cassette Exporters (HHMI Fellow) |
Kenneth Skinner (Chemical Biology) | 2012-2017 (Fellow, Vertex Pharmaceuticals) | Thesis: Identifying Druggable Sites in the Pain-Sensing TRPA1 Ion Channel (NSF and Ford Fellow) |
Aaron Bozzi (MCO) | 2013-2018 (Scientist, Alexion Pharmaceuticals) | Thesis: Molecular Mechanism of an Nramp-family Transition Metal Transporter (2020 Cranefield Student Award) |
Jack Nicoludis (Chemistry) | 2013-2018 (Principal Scientist and Group Leader, Genentech) | Thesis: Structure and specificity of clustered protocadherin interactions that mediate neuronal self-avoidance (NDSEG Fellow) |
S. E. Chapman (MCO) | 2019-2020 (Researcher overseas) | Structural studies of insect sensory receptors (QBio Fellow) |
Jose Velilla (Chemical Biology) | 2017-2022 (Postdoc, UCSF) | Thesis: Structural basis of bacterial toxin activation by prodrug-activating peptidases (HHMI Gilliam Fellow) |
Elizabeth May (MCO) | 2017-2023 (Postdoc, UC Berkeley) | Thesis: Molecular Interactions Decipher Cellular Identities During Neuronal Development (QBio Fellow) |
Heather Frank (MCO) | 2018-2024 (Scientist, Topo Therapeutics) | Thesis: Structure of a silk moth fructose receptor: an ion channel involved in insect chemosensation |
Postdoctoral Fellows | ||
Xiangshu Jin | 2003-2006 (Assistant Professor, Michigan State University) | Structure determination of the TRPV1 and TRPV2 ankyrin repeat domains |
Christopher Phelps | 2003-2009 (SVP and Head of Early Drug Discovery, Nurix Therapeutics) | Functional and Structural Studies of TRPM8; Structure of the TRPV6 ankyrin repeats; Functional studies of TRPV channels |
Wilhelm Weihofen | 2005-2011 (Investigator, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research) | Structural studies of Nramp transporters;Structures of pathogen deubiquitinating enzymes (collaboration with H.L. Ploegh); Structures of cadherins important in hearing (collaboration with D.P. Corey) |
Sze Yi Lau | 2008-2012 (Scientist I, BioChromatographix International, Singapore) | Structural determinants of TRPV1 and calmodulin interaction; Functional studies of TRPM8 |
Marcos Sotomayor | 2008-2013 (Professor, University of Chicago) | Structure and molecular dynamics of the hair cell tip link cadherins (collaboration with D.P. Corey) *HHW Fellow* *K99* |
Ahmet Vakkasoglu | 2009-2015 (Associate Director, Cue BioPharma) | Structure and function of the TAP transporter |
Alex Peralvarez-Marin | 2010-2011 (Associate Professor, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain) | Production of TRPV channels for structural studies *Marie Curie Fellow* |
Ute Hellmich | 2012-2014 (Full Professor bei Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany) | TRPV channel structural studies *EMBO Fellow* |
Jeffrey McArthur | 2013-2016 (Senior Research Scientist, AbCellera, Sydney Australia) | Conformational changes in TRPV1 |
Christina Zimanyi | 2013-2016 (Scientist, NY Structural Biology Center) | TRPA1 activation by electrophiles *Jane Coffin Childs Fellow* |
Shamayeeta Ray | 2018-2025 (Scientist, IOCB Boston) | Structural studies of Nramp transporters |
Research Associates | ||
Polina V. Lishko | 2005-2007 (Professor, Washington University, St-Louis, MI) | Establishing Electrophysiology; Developing a cysteine-less TRPV1 protein; Role of the TRPV1 ankyrin repeats in TRPV1 function |
Hitoshi Inada | 2008-2012 (Project Associate Professor at National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Japan) | Expression of TRP channels in insect cells and yeast; evaluation using fluorescence size exclusion chromatography; Crystallization and structure determination of TRPV and TRPM channel domains |
Postbaccalaureate Students | ||
Michael Gutierrez | 2019-2020 (Senior Scientist I, Novartis) | Structural and biochemical investigation of Nramp substrate-binding site diversity |
Undergraduates | ||
Aaron Huang | 2002-2004 | Toward a TAP1/TAP2 nucleotide-binding domain heterodimer |
Tiffany Hsieh | 2002-2004 (MD, Columbia University) | Expression of the TRPV1 C-terminal domain |
David Sola-Del Valle | 2004-2005 (MD ’10, Columbia University, Ophthalmologist; Lead Medical Director, Early Drug Development at Genentech/Roche) | Thesis title: Structure-function studies of TRPA1, a thermo- and mechano-sensitive ion channel (Hoopes Prize) |
Shelly S. Choo | 2004-2006 (MD ’11, Johns Hopkins University; Director - Bureau of Maternal and Child Health at the Maryland Department of Health) | Thesis title: Structural and Biochemical Studies of the N-Terminal Region of the Temperature-Sensing TRPV Ion Channels (Hoopes and Henderson Prizes Co-author, JBC 2010; Nature Genetics 2010) |
Robert J. Huang | 2005-2007 (MD ’11, Duke University; Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) at Stanford University) | Thesis title: Structural and Functional Studies of the Ankyrin Repeats of TRPV Ion Channels (Co-author, Biochemistry 2008) |
Samer Haidar | 2005-2009 (MBA+MS in Mechanical Engineering, MIT '16; Hemodynamics Director at Philips) | Engineering Design Project title: Inducing Dimeric Interactions Using Leucine Zippers (HHMI program) |
Albert Li | 2006-2009 (MD ’13, NYU; Retina Specialist at VITREORETINAL CONSULTANTS; Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell) | Thesis title: Structural Studies of TRPV1 Activation by Capsaicin (Hoopes Prize, PRISE Fellow) |
Vi Vu | 2007-2009 (VES concentration, class of 2010; Experience Designer and Design Researcher) | Interaction of TRPV1 with calmodulin (HHMI program, PRISE Fellow) |
Alejandra Beristain-Barajas | 2007-2010 (MD '21, UC Davis Medical School; Family medicine) | Thesis title: Exploring the Molecular Mechanisms of Pain: Structural and Biochemical Studies on Nociceptor Channel TRPA1, Ankyrin Repeat Domain (PRISE Fellow) |
Tianyi Zhu | Summer 2006 (Senior Investment Manager at China-focused Investment Group based in Hong Kong) | Expression and purification of bacterial Nramp transporters |
Anne McCabe | 2007-2011 (Assistant Professor, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences) | Thesis title: Studying the ion permeation pathway of divalent metal transporter NRAMP using site-directed mutagenesis (PRISE Fellow; Co-author, PNAS 2016, JBC 2020) |
Ahad Waraich | Summer 2008 (U. Chicago Class of 2012; MD) | Biochemical characterization of the TRPM2 NUDIX domain and its interaction with nucleotides (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern) |
Kevin C. Ni | 2010-2012 (MD/PhD ’21, Indiana U; Primary Care Physician at Denver Health) | Thesis title: Structural insights into asymmetric motor domains of the ABC transporter TAP (PRISE Fellow) |
Robert Powers | 2011-2014 (PhD student, Harvard Biophysics Program; IP Law, Cooley LLP) | Thesis title: Structural study of a novel partial Ca2+-free linker and a positively selected variation in Protocadherin-15: Implications for hearing and cell adhesion (PRISE Fellow, Hershel Smith Fellow, Hoopes Prize) First author, Structure 2017 |
Emily Lingeman | Summer 2012 (U. Wisconsin Madison ’14; PhD '19 UC Berkeley; Director of Innovation at AbbVie) | Functional studies of NRAMP homologs (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern) |
Alexandra Rojek | 2012-2013 (Harvard ’15; MD '19 UCSF; Instructor in Hematology/Oncology at U. Chicago) | Functional studies of NRAMP homologs |
Eric Zheng | 2012-2015 (MD/PhD '24, Tri-Institute program, NY; Psychiatry Resident, Yale University) | Thesis title: The molecular basis of capsaicin sensitivity in the nociceptor TRPV1 (PRISE and Hershel Smith Fellow) |
Linda Honaker | Summer 2013 (SDSU ’14; PhD '22, Harvard MCO; Scientist in RNA biochemistry at Arrakis Therapeutics) | Structural studies of TRPV channels (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern) |
Jenifer Brown | 2013-2015 (PhD ’21 Stanford) | Thesis title: Engineered chimeric natural resistance associated macrophage proteins (NRAMPs) for antibody co-crystallization (PRISE Fellow) |
Peter O’Byrne | Summer 2014 (Trinity College, Dublin Ireland ’15; PhD '19, Trinity College; Senior Bioprocessing Trainer at NIBRT) | Structural studies of clustered protocadherins |
Patrick Bruck | Summer 2014 (Creighton University ’16; Research Assistant, HMS ’17-’19; PhD student at UCSD ) | Functional assays of yeast Ste6 transporter homologs (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern) |
Hannah Zurier | 2015-2017 (PhD '22 at Cornell University; Scientist at Fork & Good, Inc) | Thesis title: Structural and Biophysical Studies of Ligand Binding and Cytosolic Interactions in TRPA1 (PRISE Fellow) |
Bennett Vogt | 2015-2017 (Consultant, ClearView Life Sciences ’17-’19; MD '23 UMASS Chan Medical School; Med-Peds Resident at UMASS Chan) | Thesis title: Investigating the assembly of clustered protocadherins involved in dendrite self-avoidance (PRISE Fellow) Co-author, eLife 2016 |
Benjamin Barnett | 2015-2017 (Research Assistant, NYU; MD '23 UNC; Primary Care Physician) | Structure and function of Nramp transporters; Co-author, JBC 2020 |
José Velilla | Summer 2015 (University of Florida ’16; PhD '22, Harvard Chemical Biology; Postdoctoral Fellow UCSF) | Assembly of TRPC channel intracellular domains (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern) |
Brandon Lee | 2015-2016 (Harvard ’19; Deployment Strategist at Palantir) | Structure and function of Nramp transporters |
Valia Leifer | Spring 2016 (Harvard ’19; Research Assistant at HMS; MD '25 Columbia University; Physician Intern at MSKCC) | Membrane protein structure analyses |
Stephanie Kabeche | Summer 2016 (University of Miami ’16; PhD '23 at Stanford; Scientist, Discovery Biology at BridgeBio) | Structure of clustered protocadherins (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern) |
Casey Zhang | 2017-2020 (Harvard ’20; NYU Grossman School of Medicine) | Structural analyses of LeuT-fold transporters (PRISE Fellow) Co-author, eLife 2019 |
Nhu Dang | 2017-2020 (Harvard ’21; The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University MD-MSc program) | Structural studies of C-type clustered protocadherins (PRISE and Hershel Smith Fellow) |
Keri Ngo | Summer 2017 (Boston U ’18; Graduate Student, Stanford) | Structure of clustered protocadherins; MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern |
Brenda Chiang | 2018-2019 (UCSF Medical School) | Thesis title: Promiscuity and Specificity of Clustered Protocadherin Binding Interfaces (PRISE Fellow) |
Mit Patel | 2018-2021 (Harvard ’21; SUNY Stonybrook School of Medicine) | Thesis title: Uncovering the Structure and Function of ZmaM: A Peptidase-Transporter Fusion Protein (PRISE Fellow) |
Agnele Sewa | Summer 2018 (Brandeis ’20; PhD Student at Stanford) | Structural determinants of metal binding in Nramp transition metal transporters; MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern |
Unice Yoo | 2018-2020 (Harvard ’20; Research Scientist at Nference) | Thesis title: Determining metal selectivity imparted by variations in the metal-binding site of Nramp-family (PRISE Fellow) |
Ari Broad | Summer 2019 (Florida State University ’20; High School Outreach Program Director, Cornell Engineering) | Functional studies of insect gustatory receptors (MCO/SROH Leadership Alliance Intern) |
Femke Ahlers | Summer 2019 (Cambridge University ’20; PhD '24 Oxford) | Structural studies of Nramp transporters (Emmanuel College PRISE Fellow) |
Serin Baek | 2019-2021 (Harvard ’21; Fulbright Teaching Assistantship, Taiwan) | Thesis title: Exploring the Structure and Substrate Specificity of Two Insect Gustatory Receptors (PRISE and Hershel Smith Fellow) |
Jacob Licht | 2020-2021 (Harvard ’21; Postbac at NCI; Medical Student at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University) | Thesis title: A Systematic Comparison of Conformational Movements of LeuT-fold Transporters (PRISE Fellow) |
Tammie Tam | Summer 2021 (UC Davis '22; PhD student at Yale University) | Sequence analyses of Nramp transporters (SysBio Intern) |
Emily Villalpando | Summer 2021 (UC Riverside ’22; Harvard MCO PhD student) | Sequence analyses of secondary metabolite peptidases (MCO SROH Intern) |
Edward Lee | 2020-2022 (Harvard '21; PhD student at MIT Chemistry) | Thesis title: Determining the Metal Transport Features of the Eggerthella lenta Nramp-like Proteins (PRISE Fellow; Hoopes Prize) |
Janny Liao | 2021-2022 | Structural studies of bacterial transporter-peptidases |
Amber Wei | Summer 2022 | Structural studies of bacterial transporter-peptidases |
Karissa Mennes | Summer 2022 | Genetic engineering of Bacillus cereus (MCO SROH Intern) |
Jorge Guerra | 2021-2024 (Harvard '24; PhD student in Biophysics at Harvard) | Structural studies of Nramp-like transporters (PRISE Fellow) |
Camille Freedman | 2022-2025 (Harvard '25; PhD student in Chemical Biology at Harvard) | Thesis title: Investigating Substrate Selectivity Mechanisms in Divalent Metal Transporters (PRISE Fellow; Herchel-Smith Fellow; Hoopes Prize; Henderson Prize) |
Robin Pan | 2023-2024 | Structural studies of insect gustatory receptors |
Rae Trainer | 2023-2024 | Structural studies of bacterial transporter-peptidases |
Bruno Rocha | 2023-2024 | Structural studies of bacterial transporter-peptidases |
Paz Meyers | Summer 2024 | Prediction of alternate conformations with AlphaFold |
Brooke DeJong | 2024-2025 | Ligand selectivity in an insect fructose receptor |
Aengus McGuinness | Summer 2025 | Predictions of alternate conformations with ROCKET |
Masters Students | ||
Valerie Daum | 2018-2020 | Role of the C-terminus in TRPA 1 structure and function |
Research Assistants | ||
Jason Touhey | 2004-2006 (Hospitalist) | Structure of the TRPV2 ankyrin repeats; Co-author JBC 2006 |
Amanda McFedries | 2008-2009 (Harvard PhD ’14; Technology Specialist at McCarter & English, LLP) | Structure and function of the TAP transporter |
Gavin MacKinnon | Extension School Volunteer 2008-2009 (MD '13 U. Michigan; Regional Medical Director at Optum) | Cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of TRPV1 |
High school students | ||
Serena Blacklow | 2011-2013 (Harvard College ’17 MD '23, UCSF; Coach) | Lipid binding of TRPV ankyrin repeats |
Julia Burnett | 2015-2016 (Amherst College ’20; PhD student Harvard BBS) | TAP nucleotide binding domain dimerization |
Research Interns | ||
Nina Christ | Spring 2014 (Goethe University PhD ’14; Head of Laboratory bei Boehringer Ingelheim) | Structure and function of TRPV2 and TRPV4 |
Antonia Lott | 2016-2017 (Eberhard Karls University) | Structural studies of bacterial Nramp homologs |