UW–Madison Biochem

Kaitlyn continues to break barriers with her innovations for using LEA proteins to solve another major cryo-EM sample prep issue! This work should be of great interest to friends who are struggling with particle orientation bias. Another funtastic Lim X Grant collaboration!

We're hiring! Teaching faculty provide direct instruction, curricular development, and coordination of the teaching team for the operation of several of our undergraduate lab and lecture courses. Learn more and apply by July 28: jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/teaching-…

Congratulations to Professor Monica Neugebauer, who has been selected as a 2026 Beckman Young Investigator! Learn more about how the award will further Neugebauer's work, which aims to expand the chemical capabilities of living systems: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/06/29/neu…

Undergrads @UWMadison build the skills & knowledge to jump into projects across a range of fields. In our Q&A series, you'll meet some biochem majors who serve in important roles across campus. Emma Kluge, a recent grad, has started working @EliLillyandCo: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/06/24/und…

The @Wei_Lab_WISC and @JudithSimcox Labs are investigating how a metabolite linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes is regulated, a deeper understanding that could reveal new biological pathways involved in appetite and metabolism. Read more: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/06/17/res…

Inspired by advances in peptide-delivered medications, the @vatsanraman Lab is exploring peptides’ potential to disrupt certain cancers. The work is supported by an award from The Badger Challenge. biochem.wisc.edu/2026/06/04/wit…

In the W-S lab's first preprint, we describe how genomic language models know something about RNA thermodynamics. Though we think this is cool, things get tricky! A growing practice for interpreting LMs is to perturb input tokens, often called "Categorical Jacobian": 👇

Last weekend the W-S lab had our first lab retreat. Activities ranged from kayaking to vibe-coding science games! Thanks to Kemp station @UWMadisonCALS for having us!

Join us for Isabella James's Ph.D. thesis defense on June 19. Her research in the @JudithSimcox Lab focused on ceramides, a class of lipids, investigating their synthesis and how they move among tissues. Learn more: ipib.wisc.edu/2026/05/29/ipi…

Professor Snehal Chaudhari is using innovative techniques to investigate unresolved questions about how our bodies access and use folate. In this video, she addresses the history and importance of folate that drives her lab's research. youtube.com/watch?v=g4PUxk…

Congratulations to 52 exceptional biochemistry students recognized with scholarships, fellowships, and research support this spring! Their achievements are made possible in part by the generosity of donors and support from department & campus partners. biochem.wisc.edu/2026/06/01/bio…

Excited to share the first manuscript from our lab! Here we identified a shared enzymatic mechanism linking N-acetylated β-amino acids to energy balance regulation @jbiolchem. Congratulations to our first PhD student, Ruida Li, from @CMB_UWMadison, for leading this work. Grateful for the tremendous support from @JudithSimcox @UWBiochem @longlabstanford @ssiipei jbc.org/article/S0021-…

Join us for James Corban's Ph.D. thesis defense on May 26! His research in the @vatsanraman Lab developed methods to identify and characterize proteins associated with epigenetic shifts in mammalian cells. Learn more: ipib.wisc.edu/2026/05/08/ipi…

UW–Madison researchers are envisioning what local foods and green fuels could look like in a Jetsons-esque future. One question they’re asking: can photosynthetic organisms be grown using lunar or Martian soils? biochem.wisc.edu/2026/05/13/can…

Congratulations to biochemistry emeritus professor John Ralph, who has been elected to the @theNASciences! Ralph and his lab studied lignin structure and biosynthesis, decoding lignin biochemistry and identifying biosynthesis pathways. Learn more: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/05/08/eme…

Congratulations to Sourav Agrawal, who was awarded a Louis and Elsa Thomsen Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship from @UWMadisonCALS! His research in the @cijilim Lab focuses on telomeres. Learn more: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/04/28/sou…

Pleased to see @UWBiochem Professor Emeritus John Ralph elected to @theNASciences! His pioneering research on lignin (the compound that gives plants structure and strength) has had global impact across plant science and biochemistry. news.wisc.edu/professor-emer…

Congratulations to Tyler Ramos, who received a @NSF Graduate Research Fellowship this year! Ramos is a graduate student in the LaFoya Lab. Learn more: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/04/21/202…

Join us on May 11 for Biochemistry Colloquium with Gustavo Silva. @thesilvalab investigates how ubiquitin controls cellular response to oxidative stress. More info: today.wisc.edu/events/view/22…

Join us for Zhejing (Maggie) Xu's Ph.D. thesis defense on May 11! As a member of the @CellRaiser_ Lab, Xu studied how predatory protozoa adapt cell morphology to optimize feeding efficiency in response to environmental demands. Learn more: ipib.wisc.edu/2026/04/17/ipi…