The Smith Lab strives to develop enabling tools for organic synthesis, allowing bioactive molecules of great complexity to be prepared in a concise and sustainable fashion.

The ultimate goal of the Nijhawan-De Branander Lab is to discover first in class drugs for the treatment of cancer. 

The McFadden Lab uses genetically engineered mice and human cancer cells to identify new genes and small molecules that regulate cancer cell growth.

The broad research interest of Fei Wang lab is in dissecting molecular mechanisms of essential cellular events in eukaryotic cell development. Currently, my laboratory investigates how cells preserve the fidelity of gametogenesis under environmental and physiological stress. Gametogenesis, the process by which diploid precursors undergo meiosis and differentiation to produce haploid gametes, is remarkably sensitive to temperature and other stressors. Even mild perturbations tolerated by mitotically dividing cells can disrupt meiosis, leading to infertility or defective gametes. This heightened sensitivity reflects the competing demands faced by germ cells: they must complete complex developmental transitions while responding flexibly to environmental challenges. The mechanisms that safeguard meiotic integrity under such conditions have long remained poorly understood. In somatic cells, two conserved pathways—stress granules (SGs) and autophagy—serve as major quality-control systems under stress. SGs sequester untranslated mRNAs and RNA-binding proteins to pause translation and preserve key transcripts, while autophagy recycles damaged or unneeded components through autophagosome-mediated degradation, restoring proteostasis and energy balance. How these systems cooperate during meiosis, when transcriptional and translational reprogramming, organelle remodeling, and proteome renewal occur simultaneously, has remained largely unexplored.

Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) as a powerful model, my group integrates genetics, biochemistry, live-cell imaging, proteomics, and computational approaches to uncover how autophagy and RNA regulation ensure gamete quality under stress. Supported by Welch and NIGMS(R01 and R35) fundings and an endowed scholarship to Dr. Fei Wang (Nancy Cain and Jeffrey A. Marcus Scholar in Medical Research, in Honor of Dr. Bill S. Vowell), our research has defined a unified quality-control network that integrates autophagy, RNA regulation, and stress response to preserve reproductive fidelity. 

Goldsmith Lab combines drug discovery and mechanistic analysis to understanding protein kinases. 

The De Brabander Lab focuses on the synthesis of complex molecular architectures, including both designed and naturally occurring substances with novel structural features and interesting biological function. 

Qin Lab focuses on the development of novel synthetic transformations and strategies that will allow access to bioactive, complex natural products and efficient synthesis of pharmaceuticals and their derivatives.

The Ready Lab is engaged in the discovery and synthesis of biologically active small molecules

The Orth lab is interested in elucidation the activity of virulence factors from pathogenic bacteria so that we can gain novel molecular insight into eukaryotic signaling systems.

The Tambar Group develops new strategies and concepts in synthetic chemistry to address challenging problems in chemistry and biology.