Genetics and Biochemistry News

The Clemson University College of Science recognized some of its most outstanding undergraduate and graduate students during an awards ceremony on April 9. The following G&B students were recognized. Ryan Mehlem: Outstanding Undergraduate in Discovery Award Ryan Mehlem, an Honors College student with a biochemistry major with minors in cluster engineering and business administration, has [&#8…

Senior Katie Barfield and alum Søren Spina were recognized by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), a highly competitive award that supports outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Katie, a genetics and sociology double major and Breakthrough Scholar studies the questions at the intersection …

It will be strange not to see Gabbie Gardiner around the teaching labs in Poole anymore. Gabbie is graduating this May with dual degrees in genetics and biochemistry, along with a minor in Spanish, after serving as a student laboratory assistant. “I have worked as a student laboratory assistant for the G&B [Poole] teaching labs […]

Dr. Shahid Mukhtar was invited for three events: Dr. Robert Anholt is planning the 2026 SC INBRE Career Development Workshop titled “Dazzle ’Em With Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation (Presentation Skills)” for the USC School of Medicine, Columbia, SC. In addition Dr. Anholt is the organizer for three events:

Dr. Stephen Dolan has joined forces with molecular biologist Gustavo Goldman at the University of São Paulo in Brazil to understand how dangerous fungi survive their own poisons and how that could be turned into a new antifungal drug. Dr. Robert Anholt is part of a new initiative at Clemson aimed at bringing researchers together […]

Dr. Amy Lawton-Rauh, senior associate provost and professor in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which is one of the highest honors in the scientific community. Students Alayna Khoja, genetics major, and Kristen Evans, biochemistry major, have been inducted into […]

Heidi Anderson, Merdith Morris and Rhonda Powell from CLIF published  “Ultrastructural expansion microscopy reveals unexpected levels of glycosome heterogeneity in African trypanosomes” in the Journal of Microscopy. Drs. Trudy Mackay and Robert Anholt published three articles this semester: Dr. Shahid Mukhtar’s lab published “Systems-level understanding of plant immun…

Amy Lawton-Rauh, senior associate provost and professor in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which is one of the highest honors in the scientific community. Selected for her exceptional research and leadership in her field, with this election, Lawton-Rauh is being recognized by the AAAS for h…

Wanting to escape the cold of her hometown of Huntley, Illinois, junior biochemistry student Adrianna Crespo knew once she graduated from high school, she had her sights set on the south – and set on Clemson, committing to the university the day she was accepted. “I often get asked why I chose Clemson, and I never have a really good answer, as a part of me just always knew that this is where I be…

Assistant professor in Genetics and Biochemistry Dr. Stephen Dolan, who is also a part of the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC), has joined forces with molecular biologist Gustavo Goldman at the University of São Paulo in Brazil to understand how dangerous fungi survive their own poisons and how that could be turned into a new antifungal drug. The two researchers work on the fungi Asp…

“Science isn’t done in isolation. Labs must collaborate with others to move science forward. That’s just the nature of science…” says Dr. Kerry Smith, a professor in the Clemson Department of Genetics and Biochemistry and director of Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC). This ideology is part of what prompted EPIC, which is one of Clemson’s largest research centers, to join with partners…

Fun Fact: Junior biochemistry student Olivia (Liv) Palmieri’s high school in Galloway, New Jersey sat right on the beach. Even so, knowing that medicine was the end goal, she was drawn down south to Clemson University for her undergraduate experience. Clemson was an easy choice for Liv because of our strong sense of community, robust biochemistry program and the wide-ranging number of opportuniti…

Dr. Meredith Morris has been awarded a Fulbright Specialist grant to strengthen international research and training partnerships between the Institute of Parasitology in the Czech Republic and the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC) at Clemson University. This project brings together two globally recognized centers focused on understanding parasites that impact human and animal health. …

Freshman Elizabeth Polatty’s upbringing in a multicultural home, along with minor health challenges in childhood, drew her not only to Clemson, but also to science and biochemistry. “I grew up in a multicultural Ukrainian-American family, which shaped how I see the world and why I’m drawn to science that serves people, especially across language and access barriers…I’ve always been repping orange…

It’s true that even your toughest STEM students aren’t huge fans of organic chemistry – that’s not the case for junior Honor College student Walker Hussey. The subject even inspiring him to switch up his college path. “I applied to Clemson as a biology major, however after taking Organic Chemistry I, I wanted to switch to biochemistry to learn more about the molecular interactions which lead to l…

Passion for Research When freshman biochemistry student Sarah Neighbor started to experience unusual symptoms in her senior year of high school, such as tightening of the throat and chest pain, she wondered if it was her severe peanut allergy. “My throat started to tighten more frequently when I would go out to eat, which was such an uncomfortable feeling. Every time this occurred I was convinced…

Alayna Khoja, genetics major, and Kristen Evans, biochemistry major have been inducted into the new Honors College initiative, the Action Scholars Program. This new program brings together a group of first- and second-year Honors students to research, build and implement plans to address community needs or challenges, furthering the University’s land grant mission by building future leaders who a…

Aging leaves a chemical signature on DNA, statistical models known as epigenetic clocks estimating a person’s age with relatively high accuracy. However, new research by assistant professor and member of the Institute of Human Genetics Dr. Shyamalika Gopalan and collaborators from France show many of these clocks do not tell time well for some populations. […]

The Biochemistry Bachelor of Science program at Clemson University has been fully re-accredited by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) for another 7-year cycle. The website notes that ASBMB accreditation is a national, independent, outcomes-based evaluation system that recognizes excellence in B.S. or B.A. degree programs in biochemistry and molecular biology. A […]

Clemson University senior double majoring in biochemistry and psychology Yashvi Patel spent the past summer at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida completing a clinical research internship focused on stroke treatment. Thrombolytics, which are administered when someone suffers a stroke, are clot-busting drugs used to restore blood flow to the brain. Though we know to […]