Takeshi Miyazawa

Takeshi is a Research Associate who received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at RIKEN (Saitama University) in 2016 under the supervision of Hiroyuki Osada and Shunji Takahashi where his research focused on the biosynthesis of reveromycin, especially the formation of unusual extender units and post-PKS modifications. He is currently investigating the higher-order structures of modular PKSs and how to best engineer these assembly lines. In his free time, Takeshi seeks out delicious US beer.

Zhe-Chong (Mark) Wang

After receiving his Ph.D. in molecular biology (2015, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan) under the supervision of Prof. Hwei-Ling Peng, Mark went to Academia Sinica (Taiwan) as a postdoc to study the biosynthesis of natural products. Now, Mark is a Research Associate working on creating novel derivatives of Pikromycin and Rapamycin via modifying PKS modules and tailoring enzymes. He has developed novel CRISPR-Cas9/Cas12a tools to easily and rapidly modify Streptomyces genomes. Being a carboholic, Mark is frequently on a journey to seek different sweets in his leisure time.

Jie Zhang

Jie is a Postdoctoral Fellow who completed his Ph.D. in 2021 at the University of Tokyo, Japan. His Ph.D. research, under the supervision of Tomohisa Kuzuyama, focused on the biosynthesis of natural products containing o-dialkylbenzene moieties formed by a new type of pericyclase. He is currently working on the engineering PKS assembly lines to improve the production of polyketides in vitro and in vivo. In addition, he is interested in using cryo-EM to understand the structure of modular PKSs. Outside of the lab, he enjoys traveling.

Kate Ray

Kate is a biochemistry graduate student who received her B.S. from East Carolina University. She is currently working on editing PKS assembly lines, both in vivo and in vitro. Outside the lab, she likes to spend time with her pet sugar gliders.

Ramesh Bista

Ramesh is a Biochemistry graduate student who received his B.S. in Biochemistry from University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is currently working on engineering of polyketide synthases to produce a library of designer polyketides. He likes to read fiction novels in his free time.

Josh Lutgens

Josh is a Cell and Molecular Biology graduate student who received his B.S. from The University of Texas at Austin. He is combinatorially assembling engineered PKS.

Ryan O'Connor

Ryan is a biochemistry graduate student who received their B.S./B.A. from Bradley University in biomedical sciences and chemistry. They are currently optimizing production of polyketides and extender units in various host organisms. In their free time, they enjoy hiking, watching scary movies, and busting out some funky tunes on the bass.

Kiran Thirukonda

Kiran is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Healthcare Reform & Innovation. He's working on recombining PKS modules to assess for gatekeeping properties and the possibility of novel products. In his spare time, he watches sports, listens to music, and rock climbs.

Hayden Stegall

Hayden is a third-year undergraduate pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry with an elements of computing certificate. He is currently helping Ramesh create narbonolide derivatives and other Pikromycin-Rapamycin synthase hybrids. Research interests at this time include CRISPR, docking domain optimization, and bioreactors. Outside the lab, he enjoys scheming, plotting, and conspiring as well as climbing and playing chess (these are sometimes done in the lab also).

Hubert Jaegy

Hubert is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Biochemistry and a certificate in the Elements of Computing. He is currently engineering hybrid polyketide synthases to better understand the interactions between modules from different PKSs. In his free time, he enjoys reading and solving sudoku puzzles.

Sally Lin

Sally is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Molecular Biology. She is currently engineering hybrid polyketide synthases with Dr. Miyazawa to better understand the interactions between modules from different PKSs. She also helps Dr. Keatinge-Clay in making 3D models and 2D animations of PKS molecules and reactions. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and oil painting.