Seth Darst
Professor
He/Him/His
Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics
He is the one who knocks! And most likely to be late to your thesis defense.
Seth is an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Microbiology and National Academy of Sciences, in addition to being a recipient of the 2022 Aminoff prize in crystallography. He obtained a B.S. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University, both in Chemical Engineering. After nine years of postgraduate education in Chemical Engineering, he finally realized he didn't want to be an engineer when he grows up, so he joined the laboratory of Roger Kornberg and tried to learn about transcription. After 35 years, he still hasn't figured it out.
Fun fact: he's quite the distinguished classical pianist!
Fun fact: he's quite the distinguished classical pianist!
Wamiah Chowdhury
Postdoctoral FellowMost likely to order the spiciest food at a restaurant. Wamiah was born and raised in Bangladesh before moving to the US to attend Mount Holyoke College where she majored in Biochemistry. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied an iron-sulfur cluster containing transcription factor in E.coli in the lab of Dr. Tricia Kiley. She is excited to be moving back to the East Coast for her postdoc! During her free time, she enjoys experimenting with cooking and reading thriller/suspense books. Joshua Chandanani
3rd year Graduate Fellow
|
Yukti Dhingra
Postdoctoral
|
Andreas Mueller
Postdoctoral FellowMost likely to survive on a deserted island and fight off a bear. Andreas conducted his undergraduate studies at the University of Stuttgart in Germany a concentration in biochemistry. He then moved to the ETH Zurich, Switzerland, for his PhD research on genes of unknown function associated with the bacterial proteasome, where he discovered the major transcriptional regulator of the DNA damage response in mycobacteria - a crucial stage during the early phase of tuberculosis infection. His interest in transcription piqued, leading to his current study in the dynamics and structural mechanisms of bacterial RNA polymerase. Josh Brewer
6th Year Graduate FellowMost likely to be found wandering remote parts of the world and to be banned from Bagel Works. Josh attained his B.A. in Political Science from the Claremont Colleges, CA, before pursuing a career in the Washington D.C. beltway. After developing his interest in research science, he began training in biochemistry at Columbia University, NY, where he also began working in the protein crystallography lab of Dr. Lawrence Shapiro; studying cell adhesion molecules in Drosophila melanogaster. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the Rockefeller University, NY, in the lab of Dr. Seth Darst and Dr. Elizabeth Campbell. His research focuses on the structural mechanisms of Bacterial RNA-Polymerase promoter escape and the various functional and structural features of the transcription factor DNA-translocase MFD. Bob Landick
Guest Investigator
Most likely to get recruited by the NBA. |
Anoosha Banerjee
2nd Year Graduate FellowMost likely to become a food influencer. Anoosha graduated from Barnard College in 2020 with a degree in biochemistry. After working for two years as a research assistant, she decided to pursue her PhD and is a graduate student in the Tri-Institutional Chemical Biology Program. During her time in the Darst-Campbell lab, Anoosha hopes to learn about the structural biology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase and gain mechanistic insight on its role in viral replication. In her free time, Anoosha loves to cook, go for long walks, and cuddle her two menacing cat children. Nina Molina
Research AssistantMost likely to brighten up your day. Born and raised in Colombia (not Columbia). She got a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and an M.Sc. in medical engineering from the Technical University of Munich. After working closely with biologists during her studies, she decided to take a job in biology to see what all the fuss is about. In her free time, she’s trying to make the best out of living in New York! Rukmini Mhaske
Research AssistantMost likely to start a fitness podcast. From Pune, India, Rukmini attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she pursued biochemistry and molecular biology. At UMass Amherst, she was involved in research focusing on polymeric nanomaterials for biotherapeutic delivery. Now as an RA in the Darst-Campbell labs, she aims to aid the investigation of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent- RNA polymerase for its role in the transcription and replication of the viral genome. Outside of work, her interests lie in working out and exploring new cafes in the city serving the best lattes! |
