Lab Members, Spring 2022:
Platform (left to right) – Sophia Dewing, Emery Usher, and Rong Hu;
Stairs (back to front) – Olivia Fraser, Kevin Namitz, and Nolan Jacob;
Foreground (left to right) – Wei Chen, Scott Showalter, and Max Riedel-Topper
Current lab Members
Principal Investigator
Scott A. Showalter
Principal Investigator
B.S.: Biochemisty / Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Ph.D.: Molecular Biophysics / Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis MO
Postdoc: National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee FL
Principal Investigator
B.S.: Biochemisty / Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Ph.D.: Molecular Biophysics / Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis MO
Postdoc: National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee FL
Postdoctoral Fellows
Wei Chen
Postdoctoral Scholar
B.S.: Chemistry / National Taiwan University
Ph.D.: Chemistry / University of California, San Diego
Graduate Students
Max Riedel-Topper
BMMB Graduate Student (CV)
B.S., Hood College
Max joined our group in 2019 and became a member of the Pdx1 project team.
BMMB Graduate Student (CV)
B.S., Hood College
Max joined our group in 2019 and became a member of the Pdx1 project team.
Sophia Dewing
BMMB Graduate Student (CV)
B.S., Gonzaga University
Sophia is currently investigating mechanisms that allow transcription factors to coordinate gene regulation events with metabolic stimulus in pancreatic beta cells.
BMMB Graduate Student (CV)
B.S., Gonzaga University
Sophia is currently investigating mechanisms that allow transcription factors to coordinate gene regulation events with metabolic stimulus in pancreatic beta cells.
Olivia Fraser
BMMB Graduate Student (CV)
B.S., St. John Fisher College
M.S., Rochester Institute of Technology
Olivia joined our group in 2020 and became a member of the post-translational modification team.
BMMB Graduate Student (CV)
B.S., St. John Fisher College
M.S., Rochester Institute of Technology
Olivia joined our group in 2020 and became a member of the post-translational modification team.
Rong Hu
Chemistry Graduate Student (CV)
B.S., University of California, Davis
Rong is exploring the substrate specificity of P-TEFb and the effect of Spt5-CTR phosphorylation on Pol II pause release.
Chemistry Graduate Student (CV)
B.S., University of California, Davis
Rong is exploring the substrate specificity of P-TEFb and the effect of Spt5-CTR phosphorylation on Pol II pause release.
Undergraduate Students
Emma Kraft
Emma is a forth-year student at Penn State majoring in chemistry.
Congratulations to Emma on receiving her degree at the 2024 spring commencement!
Mia Petrucela
Mia is a first-year student at Penn State majoring in chemistry.