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FACULTY AND STAFF SPOTLIGHTS FACULTY A TLIGHTS

New Faculty & Staff Ne Fac lty Staff

Join us in welcoming Lisa Jones (left), Dana Keith (center), and Wei Sun (right) to the department! Jones is our new Academic Program Coordinator and she joined our department in July. Keith joined our department as our new Human Resource Specialist in late May. Sun, assistant professor, joined the department in August after serving as a postdoctoral associate at the University of California, San Francisco. His research focus is in RNA Biology. Join us in welcoming Lisa Jones (left), Dana Keith (center), and Wei Sun (right) to the department! Jones is our new Academic Program Coordinator and she joined our department in July. Keith joined our department as our new Human Resource Specialist in late May. Sun, assistant professor, joined the department in August after serving as a postdoctoral associate at the niversity of California, San Francisco. His research focus is in RNA Biology.

Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran, postdoctoral associate, has been featured in various news articles to apply his expertise on evolutionary ecology and mosquito biology on a developing mosquito density problem in India. Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran, postdoctoral associate, has been featured in various news articles to apply his expertise on evolutionary ecology and mosquito biology on a developing mosquito density problem n India. Media Mentions Media Mentions

LINK+LICENSE+LAUNCH's most recent Inventor Spotlight features Catherine Freed, postdoctoral associate, Catherine Freed. Freed focuses on the enhancement of food security by developing crops which mitigate phosphate fertilizer pollution and increasing the efficiency of phosphate use and uptake in agricultural applications. LINK+LICENSE+LAUNCH's most recent Inventor Spotlight features Catherine Freed, postdoctoral associate, rine Fre d. Freed focuses on the enhancement of food se rity by developing crops which mitigate phosphate fertilizer pollution and incre sing the efficiency of phosphate use and uptake in agricultural applications.

Kylie Allen, assistant professor of biochemistry, received seed funding from Virginia Tech's Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS). This grant is funding her project with Valerie Wellborn, assistant professor of chemistry, on DNA-scaffolded synthetic enzymes for tunable high performance catalysis: an integrated computational and experimental approach. Kylie Allen, assistant professor of biochemistry, received seed fundi g from Virginia Tech's Institute for Critical Techn logy and Applied Sci nce (ICTAS). This grant is funding her project with Val rie Wellborn, assistant professor of chemistry, on DNA-scaffolded synthetic enzymes for tunable high performance catalysis: an integrated computational and experimental approach. Grants

Anne Brown, assistant professor in Virginia Tech Libraries and of biochemistry, received seed funding from the Virginia Tech Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS). This grant will fund her project on Accelerating Late-Stage Drug Functionalization for RNA Viruses in collaboration with Sanket Deshmukh, assistant professor of chemical engineering; Andrew Lowell, assistant professor of chemistry; and James Weger, assistant professor of biomedical sciences and pathobiology. Anne Brown, assistant professor in Virginia Tech Libraries and of bi chemistry, received eed funding from the Vi gini Tech Institut for C itical Technology and Applied Science (IC AS). This grant will fund her project on Accelerating Late-Stage Drug Functionalization for RNA Viruses in collaboration with Sanket Deshmukh, assistant professor of chemical engineering; Andrew Lowell, assistant professor of chemistry; and James Weger, assistant professor of biomedical sciences and pathobiology. Robert “Bob” Reinhart Schmidt, 89, of Blacksburg, passed away on October 16, 2022 of natural causes. H is survived by is wife Phyllis of 66 years, his four children and spouses, 12 grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Schmidt graduated Falls Church High school in 1951 and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from Virginia Tech in 1955 while serving on the Battalion Command Staff in the Corps of Cadets. He r ceived his Master’s degree in Plant Physiology from the University of Maryland in 1957 and his Doctorate in Biochemistry from Vi ginia Tech in 1961. He joined the Biochemistry faculty at Virginia Tech after graduation and became the young st full professor in Virginia Tech history. The full obituary is available to read on our website. Robert “Bob” Reinhart Schmidt, 89, of Blacksburg, passed away on October 16, 2022 of natural causes. He is survived by his wife Phyllis of 66 years, his four children and spouses, 12 grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Schmidt graduated Falls Church High school in 1951 and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from Virginia Tech in 1955 while serving on the Battalion Command Staff in the Corps of Cadets. He received his Master’s degree in Plant Physiology from the University of Maryland in 1957 and his Doctorate in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech in 1961. He joined the Biochemistry faculty at Virginia Tech after graduation and became the youngest full professor in Virginia Tech history. The full obituary is available to read on our website.

Grants

In Memoriam

Department Head Search Department Head Search Virginia Tech seeks applications and nominations for the position of Professor nd Head of the Department of Biochemistry (BCHM) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, a tenured twelve-month academic and administrative appointment. The Department bo sts over $4M in annual rese rch expenditures, with active, ext murally-fu ded research programs in diverse areas of biochemistry including: protein structure/functio , vector-borne diseases, sig al ran duc ion, and the molecular basis of human health and disease. Visit our website to find more information abo t this position and to apply! Virginia Tech seeks applications and nominations for the position of Professor and Head of the Department of Biochemistry (BCHM) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, a tenured twelve-month academic and administrative appointment. The Department boasts over $4M in annual research expenditures, with active, extramurally-funded research programs in diverse areas of biochemistry including: protein structure/function, vector-borne diseases, signal transduction, and the molecular basis of human health and disease. Visit our website to find more information about this position and to apply!

In Memoriam