Glen Liszczak, PhD - Principal Investigator
I was born and raised in Manville, New Jersey (named after the Johns-Manville Corporation!). I received my B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Ramapo College of New Jersey and my Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. As a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Ronen Marmorstein, I employed structural biology, enzymology, and other biochemical and biophysical approaches to delineate molecular mechanisms of protein amino-terminal acetyltransferase activation and catalysis. In 2013, I joined the laboratory of Professor Tom Muir as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University where I employed a wide array of chemical biology techniques to delineate epigenetic mechanisms and their misregulation in cancer. In 2018, I joined the Department of Biochemistry at UTSW as an Assistant Professor and an Endowed Scholar. I love Texas!
Throughout my career I have been fortunate to receive numerous awards for my research, including the Dr. Monica H.M. Shander Memorial Fellowship, a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, a Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Recruitment of First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Member Award, a UT System Rising STARs Award, and a Career Development Award from the American Heart Association.
Boring fact: Glen drives a Honda Pilot.
Lily Kim - Biochemistry graduate student
Lily received her BA in biochemistry from Vanderbilt University in 2023. She is interested in studying protein-protein interactions and uncovering novel protein biochemistry. She is no longer the shortest lab member (hooray!), and in her free time, she enjoys rock climbing and puzzles.
Fun Fact: Lily has logged more hours crossing the bridge to North campus than anyone else in lab
“I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Tucker Burnett - Biochemistry graduate student
Tucker graduated in 2019 with a BS in Chemistry from Stanford University. Following graduation, he worked for a startup utilizing high-throughput gene editing techniques to optimize fermentation yields. He is interested in employing biochemical techniques to uncover genetic roots of disease. In his free time, he likes cooking food which is just a bit too spicy or salty for him to enjoy.
Fun Fact: Tucker proposed to his fiancée in a horse costume
“Red Bull gives you wiiings”
Kaylee Lankford - Biochemistry graduate student
Kaylee received her BS in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2024. She is interested in characterizing the biochemical regulation of disease-associated proteins. In her free time Kaylee enjoys road trips, cooking, and finding any excuse to bake something new!
Fun Fact: Kaylee’s kitchen is sunflower-themed
"Bring back the funk”
Sophia Valdivia - Research Assistant
Sophia earned a BA in biochemistry from Benedictine College. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and painting with watercolors.
Fun fact: Sophia spent half a year in France making bitter orange jam with nuns.
“That’s tough”
Alumni
Vishnu Vasudev - STARS high school student; summer student intern
Jorge Sierra - Research Assistant
Abby Castro - STARS high school student; summer student intern
Sebastian Sanchez - postbaccalaureate student
Catharine Valadez - Research Assistant
Michael McConville - Biochemistry Graduate Student (current position: UTSW internal medicine PSTP)
Jugal Mohapatra - Biochemistry Graduate Student (current position: Genentech, Inc.)
Kyuto “Q” Tashiro - Biochemistry Graduate Student (current position: Amide Technologies)
Hanfei Jin - Beutler Institute Exchange Student
Abby Walterscheid - Research Assistant
Ryan Beckner - Biochemistry Graduate Student (current position: UTSW MSTP)