Team#
Come talk to us at our group meeting in the Hammer 5 conference room at 1 pm on Thursdays.
Karen Garcia (she/her) | Undergraduate researcher
I am a current undergraduate at Columbia Engineering, originally from Los Angeles, California. I am majoring in Chemical Engineering with a specialization in Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals, and minoring in Computer Science. Before joining the lab, I was an NSF REU intern with Rosetta Commons, where I worked in the Drew Lab at UIC, designing de novo binders to disrupt the HIV-1 capsid. I am interested in exploring new computational tools and the intersection of computational design and wet-lab experimentation for therapeutic development. Outside of the lab, I enjoy traveling, hiking, watercolor painting, and photography.
Anum Glasgow (she/her) | Principal investigator
I am an assistant professor at Columbia University Medical Center in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. I grew up on the Jersey Shore. As an undergraduate in the Gracias Lab, I built self-folding micro-structures. In graduate school, I studied nature’s most beautiful self-folding systems – proteins – in the DTE Lab at UC Berkeley. For the last few years, I moved into computational biophysics to design new proteins for artifical functions as a postdoctoral fellow in the Kortemme Lab at UCSF. I am so pumped to do protein science in NYC!!
Will Hyatt (he/him) | Graduate student
I am a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences specializing in structural biology and biophysics. I received my B.Sc. in Molecular Bioscience at Rochester Institute of Technology, conducting research with Dr. Jeremy Cody on the total synthesis of novel small-molecule therapeutics. I then received my M.A. in Biotechnology from Columbia University in the lab of John Hunt where I focused on macromolecular structure determination using CryoEM. My current work focuses on developing models for refining in-silico protein design applied to protein-based therapeutics and genomic medicine.
Emily Kilroy (she/her) | Postbac Reseacher
I am a recent graduate of Columbia University, where I recieved a B.A. in Biochemistry. I am most recently from northern New Jersey, but previously lived in 4 other states before coming to NYC. Prior to joining the lab, I completed an internship in the pharmaceutical industry, where I became fascinated with studying proteins and their potential to be developed into therapeutics. Outside of the lab I am a member of the Women’s Rowing team at Columbia and enjoy reading, painting, and baking hyper-realistic cakes.
Erica Kokor (she/they) | Undergraduate researcher
I am a Junior in Columbia College studying Biochemistry. I mostly grew up in Central California, but spent my early years just outside of Chicago and in Southern California. Prior to joining the Glasgow Lab, I was a Laidlaw Scholar at Columbia, working in the K=1 project under Professor Emlyn Hughes. Outside of the lab, I enjoy baking, reading, and playing instruments!
Chenlin Lu (he/him) | Postdoctoral research fellow
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University. I received my B.A. and Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University. My prior research focused on the conformational dynamics of enzymes and the creation of novel-to-nature protein-metal cluster composites utilizing both computational and experimental methods. To pursue my interests in understanding and designing fantastic molecular machines: proteins, I moved to the Glasgow lab. I am excited to combine MD simulation with HDX mass spectrometry to investigate the allosteric regulation of a critical enzyme in glycolysis.
Savannah McBride (she/her) | Graduate student
I am a PhD student in the Department of Genetics and Development. I received my B.A. in Biology from Reed College in Portland, OR. Prior to starting graduate school, I was a research assistant in Dr. Fikadu Tafesse’s lab at OHSU, where I worked on COVID antibody research and evaluated novel small molecules as antiviral therapeutics. I am interested in exploring new methods of protein design and understanding how protein conformational dynamics underlie protein function. Outside of the lab, I enjoy exploring NYC, going to stand-up comedy shows, and sitting in Central Park with my friends.
Andrew Reckers (he/him) | Graduate student
I am a PhD student in the Integrated Program hailing from California. I obtained my bachelor’s degree from Whitman College, where I studied Environmental Studies and Biology. Most recently, I was a research technician in Dr. Roy Gerona’s lab at UC San Francisco, using mass spectrometry to study forensic toxicology and antibiotic therapy adherence. I am interested in cool proteins and cool science!
Steven Rimmasch (they/them) | Postbac researcher
I received my B.S. in Chemistry from Weber State University. I grew up in Utah and love outdoor activities like backpacking and climbing. I was introduced to Molecular Dynamics (MD) during my REU in the Igumenova lab at Texas A&M. This began my passion for computational methods as well as my interest in protein dynamics. In the Glasgow lab I work on predicting experimental protection factors from MD data as well as studying the effects of ligand binding on a protein’s conformational ensemble. In graduate school I want to to continue studying proteins using MD as well as develop methods for enzyme engineering.
Daniel Sultanov (he/him) | Postdoctoral research scientist
I am a computational and experimental biologist focusing on integrating evolution into understanding and designing protein allostery. I received my PhD in Genomics from New York University, where I was working on evolution of macromolecular RNA-protein machines. Before that, I worked as a biochemist at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA, where I was investigating step-by-step recognition of DNA-breaks in chromatin. I received my BSc in Biochemistry and MSc in Molecular Biology from Moscow State University in Russia.
Belen Sundberg (she/her) | Graduate student
I am a PhD candidate in the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies at Columbia University. Before beginning my PhD, I received my B.A. in Biology from NYU and worked as a technician at Columbia’s Chio Laboratory, investigating redox adaptations acquired by Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma cells to survive persistent oxidative stress. At the Glasgow lab, my work is centered on understanding the allosteric regulation of conserved, key glycolytic enzyme PFK-1. A more detailed picture of PFK-1’s conformational ensemble will allow for the rational design of new classes of allosteric therapeutics to target this essential enzyme in diseases such as cancer. Additionally, uncovering the differences in allosteric mechanisms between human and pathogenic orthologs of PFK-1 can inform the design of cool new antibiotics.
Kyle C Weber (he/him) | Graduate student
I am a graduate student in the Integrated Program of Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies at Columbia. I will soon join the Glasgow lab after rotations. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in Biotechnology as well as a minor in Bioinformatics. My previous research focused on mitigating the effects of citrus greening, a bacterial pathogenic infection, in citrus plants. I specialized in RNA-Seq experiments, genome assemblies, and isoform discovery to uncover mechanisms of resistance. My current interests are in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. I wish to create novel enzymes and transcription factors for the use in synthetic systems.
Our next member
Are you interested in joining us? We are excited to have you.