What can a microscopic organism in Lake Mendota teach us about cellular adaptation? The @cellraiser.bsky.social Lab is studying P. collini, a single-celled predator that reshapes its feeding structures to match changing conditions in its environment. Read the story: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/07/16/i...

Investigating a Microscopic Predator in Madison’s Lakes

Researchers in the Coyle Lab have identified unusual growth patterns and their underlying biochemical mechanisms in a single-celled organism on the hunt.

biochem.wisc.edu

Join us on Aug. 6 for Lauren Mazurkiewicz's PhD thesis defense! Mazurkiewicz's research in the @amyweeks.bsky.social Lab explored the role diphthamide, a post-translational modification conserved across eukaryotes. Learn more: ipib.wisc.edu/2026/07/23/i...

IPiB Thesis Defense August 6, 2026: Lauren Mazurkiewicz

Mazurkiewicz’s research in the Weeks Lab explored the role diphthamide, a post-translational modification conserved across eukaryotes.

ipib.wisc.edu

Join us on Aug. 4 for Bianca Chavez's PhD thesis defense! @biancachavez.bsky.social's research in the @cijilim.bsky.social Lab examined how telomere loops help to protect telomeres from degradation. Learn more: ipib.wisc.edu/2026/07/28/i...

IPiB Thesis Defense August 4, 2026: Bianca Chavez

Chavez’s research in the Lim Lab examined how telomere loops help to protect telomeres from degradation.

ipib.wisc.edu

Congratulations to IPiB graduate students Matthew Kim, Corinne Moss, and Fong Ning Liew, who earlier this month were presented Denton Awards for Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring and the Sigrid Leirmo Memorial Award in Biochemistry! ipib.wisc.edu/2026/07/06/t...

Three IPiB Grad Students Honored for Exceptional Mentorship and Teaching

Matthew Kim (Chaudhari Lab), Corinne Moss (Coon Lab), and Fong Ning Liew (B. Fox Lab) received awards at the IPiB summer reception.

ipib.wisc.edu

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! @uwbiochem.bsky.social

Kaitlyn Abe@kaitlynabe.bsky.social · 3w ago

1/5: Our latest preprint is out! We show that LEA proteins can diversify particle orientations in cryo-EM, helping to overcome preferred orientation at the air-water interface (AWI). www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... with @cijilim.bsky.social and Tim Grant #CryoEM #LEAproteins

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/teachin...

Teaching Faculty - Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:Academic StaffEmployment Type...

jobs.wisc.edu

🚨TODAY, 1:00 p.m. EDT🚨 Don't miss 2026 Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal recipient Judith Kimble's seminar on the discovery of the first stem cell niche and the genetic mechanisms that regulate stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. 🔗https://buff.ly/Z67hAn9 @uwbiochem.bsky.social

Undergrads @uwmadison.bsky.social 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. Recent grad Emma Kluge has started work @elilillyandcompany.bsky.social: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/06/24/u...

Undergrad Profile: Emma Kluge

Recent graduate Emma Kluge was a researcher in Catherine Fox's lab, where she studied how DNA replication is impacted by heating up enzymes that are critical to the process.

biochem.wisc.edu

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/n...

Neugebauer Selected as 2026 Beckman Young Investigator

With the award, Neugebauer aims to expand the chemical capabilities of living systems.

biochem.wisc.edu

Had a blast putting this video abstract together with colleagues for @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social story in @currentbiology.bsky.social on how the "vampire cell" P. collini builds the perfect feeding trap 👀. Be sure to check out the full paper: www.cell.com/current-biol... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikzm...

A cellular vampire builds the perfect feeding trap / Curr. Biol., June 24, 2026 (Vol. 36, Issue 14)

YouTube video by Cell Press

youtube.com

The Wei and Simcox 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/r...

Research in Brief: The What, Why, and How

Research from the Wei and Simcox Labs investigates regulation of a metabolite linked to metabolic diseases.

biochem.wisc.edu

@zjmaggiexu.bsky.social's story on suctorian trap structure adaptation is now online in @currentbiology.bsky.social , with new evolutionary analyses and modeling! This fall, Maggie will keep exploring predatory protists as a PD in @nbellono.bsky.social group; keep an eye out for her she's amazing!

Scott Coyle@cellraiser.bsky.social · 9mo ago

How do cells adapt morphology to function? In a 🔥 preprint by @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social , with @dudinlab.bsky.social and @amyweeks.bsky.social , we identify a self-organizing single-cell morphology circuit that optimizes the feeding trap structure of the suctorian P. collini. 🧵 tinyurl.com/4k8nv926

Sub-cellular architectures arise through integrating signaling and structure. @edenchang.bsky.social and @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social show how coupling reaction-diffusion signaling to protein condensation provides a tunable, regulatable landscape for sub-cellular structure www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Now online @pnas.org: We developed a simple, scalable, and accessible platform for deep profiling of phosphoeraser specificity using human phosphoproteome-derived peptide libraries (PhosPropels!) 🧪👩‍🔬https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2523183123

Phosphoproteome-derived peptide libraries for deep specificity profiling of phosphatases and phospholyases | PNAS

Protein phosphorylation is dynamically regulated by the opposing activities of phosphowriter enzymes (kinases) and phosphoeraser enzymes (phosphata...

pnas.org

Join us for Isabella James's Ph.D. thesis defense on June 19. Her research in the @judisimcox.bsky.social 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/i...

IPiB Thesis Defense June 19, 2026: Isabella James

James’s research in the Simcox Lab explored the role certain lipids play in energy expenditure.

ipib.wisc.edu

Inspired by advances in peptide-delivered medications, the Raman 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/w...

With Badger Challenge Award, Raman Lab Explores Peptide Treatments for Fighting Cancer

Inspired by new advances in peptide-delivered medications, the Raman Lab is exploring peptides’ potential to disrupt certain cancers.

biochem.wisc.edu

Heading to Boston soon to celebrate my graduate advisor's (and former @uwbiochem.bsky.social faculty member) birthday. Happy birthday JS! Here she is celebrating with some @uwmadison.bsky.social Babcock Dairy ice cream (orange custard chocolate chip of course!)

Thanks to the Ono Pharma Foundation and The University of Chicago for supporting this amazing symposium! And congratulations to the Weeks lab's own Sopo Jalalishvili for winning a poster prize for her work on phospholyases! 👩‍🔬🧪@uwbiochem.bsky.social

ONO PHARMA FOUNDATION@onoinitiative.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Great momentum at 2026 Chicago Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Symposium, hosted by CCBT at The University of Chicago and Ono Pharma Foundation. Insightful presentations and meaningful interactions drove the success of the meeting. Grateful to all attendees! ccbt.bsd.uchicago.edu/events/

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. www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4PU...

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 strong support from department and campus partners. biochem.wisc.edu/2026/06/01/b...

Biochemistry Department, Campus Recognize 52 Students with Scholarships, Fellowships, and Support in Spring 2026

The annual reception celebrated outstanding undergraduate and graduate biochemistry students.

biochem.wisc.edu

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": 👇

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/c...

Can We Grow Food in Extraterrestrial Soil?

The Gisriel Lab is exploring whether lunar and Martian soils can support cyanobacteria that are used as food and fuel additives.

biochem.wisc.edu

Le Tour de RNA was an awesome success! Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate Sam, RNA, and NMR!

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

IPiB Thesis Defense May 26, 2026: James Corban

His research in the Raman Lab developed research methods to identify and characterize proteins associated with epigenetic shifts in mammalian cells.

ipib.wisc.edu

Congratulations to John Ralph, biochemistry emeritus professor, who has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences! Ralph and his lab studied lignin structure and biosynthesis, decoding lignin biochemistry and identifying biosynthesis pathways. Learn more: biochem.wisc.edu/2026/05/08/e...

Emeritus Professor John Ralph is Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Members are recognized for their distinguished achievements in original research. Ralph is internationally recognized for his work on lignin.

biochem.wisc.edu

Can't wait for the 43rd Steenbock Symposium "Le Tour de RNA" on Saturday!

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

Sourav Agrawal of the Lim Lab is Awarded Distinguished Graduate Fellowship

Agrawal is one of two CALS students awarded the 2026 Louis and Elsa Thomsen Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship.

biochem.wisc.edu

Pleased to see @uwbiochem.bsky.social Professor Emeritus John Ralph elected to @nasonline.org! 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-em...

Professor Emeritus John Ralph elected to National Academy of Sciences

The honor recognizes his pioneering work to understand the biochemistry of an important binding compound in plants.

news.wisc.edu

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/2026/04/21/2...

2026 Graduate Research Fellowship Program Awardees Announced

Tyler Ramos, a graduate student in the LaFoya Lab, was among this year’s recipients.

biochem.wisc.edu