P. I.
Research Associates
Graduate Students
Post Docs
Group Pictures


Former Postdoctoral Fellows and Visiting Scholars
Name Degree Alma Mater Dates Current Position
Younan Shih Ph.D. Cornell University 12/86 - 05/89 Vice President, ScinoPharm, Taiwan
Yuan Yu B.S. Semiconductor Institute, Material Division, Chinese Academy of Sciences 11/85 - 11/88 n/a
Li-da Liu M.S. Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences 09/85 - 09/91 Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA
Stanley F. Lo Ph.D. University of Minnesota 08/92 - 05/93 Associate Professor, Wisconsin School of Medicine & Director of Chemistry and Metabolic Genetic Labs, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Eugene Oh Ph.D. Seoul National University 01/91 - 11/93 CEO, COS Biotech, Inc., Taijon, Korea
Olivier Ploux Ph.D. Universite Pierre et Marie Curie 07/92 - 07/94 Professeur, Structure et Function de Molecules Bioactives, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, France
Kirsi Vatanen M.S. University of Stockholm 03/93 - 07/94 n/a
Hui-qiang Zhou Ph.D. Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences 01/92 - 12/94 Research Scientist, GlaxoSmithKline
Keqiang Li Ph.D. University of Michigan 07/94 - 02/97 Research Scientist Scynexis Inc.
Caroline Leriche Ph.D. Universite Pierre et Marie Curie 02/96 - 12/97 Research Scientist, Merck-Lipha, France
Rongqiang Liu Ph.D. Universite de Lausanne 02/97 - 05/99 Research Scientist, Pharmacopeia
Kazuo Murakami Ph.D. Osaka University 04/97 - 06/99 Research Scientist, Sumitomo Chemicals Co, Japan
Siu-Man Yeung Ph.D. University of Chicago 07/97 - 07/99 Research Scientist, Genzyme Glycobiology Research Institute
Tom Cheng-wei Chang Ph.D. Washington University 09/97 - 12/99 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University
Keisuke Kato Ph.D. Kyushu University 04/99 - 03/00 Assistant Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Toho University, Japan
Lev Lis Ph.D. Byelorussian Academy of Science 03/98 - 10/00 Postdoctoral Associate, University of Minnesota
Qibo Zhang Ph.D. Oregon State University 11/98 - 10/00 Senior Research Scientist, Novobiotic Pharmaceuticals.
Shinji Nagumo Ph.D. Kyushu University, Japan 04/00 - 04/01 Associate Professor, Hokkaido College of Pharmacy, Japan
Duen-Ren Hou Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin 01/01 - 09/01 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, National Central University, Taiwan
Hiroshi Yamase Ph.D. Tokushima University, Japan 04/99 - 11/01 Research Associate, Marine Biotechnology Institute, Japan
Xuemei He Ph.D. University of Minnesota 08/97 - 07/02 Research Scientist, Life Science Group, Bio-Rad Laboratories
Zhishu Huang Ph.D. Zhongshan University, China 01/01 - 01/03 Associate Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhongshan University, China
Min Zhang Ph.D. Zhongshan University, China 04/02 - 01/03 Natural Product Chemistry Laboratories, Guangdong Provincial Institute of Materia Medica
Alexander Wong Ph.D. University of British Columbia 01/01 - 06/03 Research Scientist, Cerilliant Co.
Zongbao Zhao Ph.D. Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, China 08/98 - 10/03 Assitant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, China
Mikio Fujii Ph.D. Kyoto University, Japan 04/03 - 07/04 Assitant Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Showa University, Japan
Hyung-Jin Kwon Ph.D. Seoul National University, Korea 1/01 - 9/04 Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Science, Myongji University, Korea
Haruko Takahashi Ph.D. University of Tokushima, Japan 04/03 -04/05 Assistant Professor, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science
Hua Zhang Ph.D. Peking Union Medical College, China 04/01 -11/04 Research, Associate, Texas A&M University, Health Science Center
Chai-Lin Kao Ph.D. National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC 07/02 -08/05 Assistant Professor, Department of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung Medical University
Rongson Pongdee Ph.D. Texas A&M University 11/03 -06/05 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Colorado College
Sung-Ju Moon Ph.D. Seoul National University, Korea 03/02 -08/05 Research Scientist, Immunomedics
Qingquan Wu Ph.D. Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, China 03/03 -12/05 Research Assistant Professor, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, China
Tun-Cheng Chien Ph.D. University of Michigan 05/05 -9/06 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University
Kenji Itoh Ph.D. Kyoto University 4/04 - 4/07 Research Associate, Kinki University
Gang Dong Ph.D. University of Tennessee 1/05 - 5/07 Research Scientist, Albany Molecular Research, Inc.
Feng Yan Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin 1/05 - 6/07 Postdocotral Associate, University of California, San Francisco
Xiaotao Pu Ph.D. Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry 8/05 - 7/07 Postdocotral Associate, University of Texas, Sourthwestern Medical Center
Svetlana Borisova Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin 9/04 - 6/07 Postdoctoral Associate, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
Former Graduate Students
Name Degree Awarded Current Position
Oksoo Han Ph.D., September, 1984 - June, 1989 Professor, Department of Genetic Engineering and Institute of Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Korea
"Mechanistic Studies of the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose: Purification of CDP-6-deoxy-Δ3,4-glucoseen Reductase and Characterization of Its NADH Oxidase Activity."
Nancy D. Lenn M.S., September, 1984 - September, 1987 Northwest Nazarene University and Boise State University
"Mechanistic and Electron transfer Properties of General Acyl- and Butyryl-CoA Dehydrogenase."
Raymond N. Russell Ph.D., January 1985 - July, 1991 Attorney, Fredrickson and Byron, P.A., Minneapolis
"Part I. Stereochemical and Mechanistic Studies of the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose; Part II. Purification of a Lipid Inhibitor of Lymphoid Cell Growth from Macrophage Hybridoma Cells."
Theresa M. Weigel Ph.D., September 1985 - February, 1991 Research Scientist, Merck, Sharp and Dohme Research Lab, Rhaway, NJ
"Mechanistic Studies of the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose: Purification and Characterization of CDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose-3-dehydrase."
Vaughn P. Miller Ph.D., September, 1985 - February, 1991 Gentest Corporation
"Part I. CDP-6-deoxy-Δ3,4-glucoseen Reductase: Enzyme Purification and Mechanistic Studies; Part II. Studies of the Mechanistic Diversity of Sodium Cyanoborohydride Reduction of Tosylhydrazones."
Stanley F. Lo Ph.D., September, 1985 - August, 1992 Associate Professor, Wisconsin School of Medicine, Director of Chemistry and Metabolic Genetic Labs, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
"Cloning and Characterization of the CDP-6-deoxy-Δ3,4-glucoseen Reductase Gene."
Ding-yah Yang Ph.D., September, 1986 - May, 1992 Professor and Chairman of Chemsitry Department, Tunghai University, Taiwan, ROC
"Part I: Mechanistic Studies of Biosynthesis of 3,6-Dideoxyhexoses; Part II: Studies of the Mechanistic Diversity of Sodium Cyanoborohydride Reduction of Tosylhydrazones and Oxidation of Tosylhydrazines by N-Iodosuccinimide."
Ming-tain Lai Ph.D., September, 1987 - August, 1992 Research Scientist, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA
"Mechanistic Studies of General Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase: The Molecular Basis of Jamaican Vomiting Sickness."
Jon S. Thorson Ph.D., September, 1987 - July, 1993 Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin at Madison
"Studies of the Biosynthesis of 3,6-Dideoxyhexoses in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis: The Molecular Basis of CDP-Ascarylose Formation."
Yenyoung Lei Ph.D., September, 1988 - May 1995 Research Scientist, Applied Biosystems
"Mechanistic Studies of Enzymes Involved in the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose and TDP-Rhamnose"
Patricia A. Pieper Ph.D., September, 1990 - February, 1997 Professor, Department of Chemistry, Anoka-Ramsey Community College at Coons Rapids, MN
"Mechanistic Studies of CDP-6-deoxy-L-threo-D-glycero-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase (E1) and CDP-6-deoxy-L-threo-D-glycero-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase reductase (E3): Two Key Enzymes Involved in the Biosynthesis of CDP-Ascarylose"
Nanette L. S. Que Ph.D., September, 1990 - February, 1997 Research Associate, Duke University School of Medicine
"Studies of the Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cell Wall and Antibiotic Deoxysugar Moieties: dTDP-Rhamnose, CDP-Ascarylose, and dTDP-Mycaminose"
Injae Shin Ph.D., September, 1991 - April, 1995 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Korea
"Mechanistic Studies of Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenases with MCPA-CoA Derivatives and Radical Probes"
Ding Li Ph.D., September, 1991 - April, 1995 Associate Professor, Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong
"Mechanistic Studies of Inactivation of Enzymes Involved in Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation"
Cheryl El-Hilali M.S., September, 1991 - Feburary, 1995 n/a
Xuemei He Ph.D., September, 1991 - August, 1997 Research Scientist, Life Science Group, Bio-Rad Laboratories
"Biosynthetic Studies of Ascarylose, Streptose, and Cyclopropane Fatty Acids"
Wensheng Du Ph.D., September, 1991 - July, 1997 Director, Market Development, Akzol Nobel Chemicals
"Mechanistic Studies of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate Deaminase"
Jocelyn Clark M.S., January, 1993 - July, 1996 n/a
"The Synthesis of Mechanistic Probes for Two Enzymes: Medium-chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase and Fosfomycin Epoxidase"
Zhihong Guo Ph.D., September, 1992 - March 1998 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
"Studies of the Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cell Wall and Antibiotic Deoxysugar Components: Yersiniose A, Mycarose, and Mycaminose"
Srikanth Dakoji PhD., October 1998 Leicester Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, UK
"Mechanistic Studies of the Enzymes Involved in Fatty Acid Metabolism: Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenases and Enoyl-CoA Hydratases."
David Johnson PhD., January, 1999 Research Scientist, MicroConstants
"Part I: Mechanistic Studies on Enzymes in the Ascarylose Biosynthetic Pathway. Part II: Biochemical and Mechanistic Studies on Enzymes Involved with Bacterial Resistance to Mitomycin C."
Huawei Chen Ph.D., October, 1999 Research Scientist, Astra Zeneca R & D Boston
"Studies of the Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cell Wall and Antibiotic Deoxysugar Component: Yersiniose A, Mycarminose, and Mycarose."
Tina Hallis Ph.D., April, 2000 Research Scientist, Invitrogen
"Biochemical and Mechanistic Studies on Enzymes Involved in the Biosynthesis of 3,6-dideoxyhexoses and the Branched- chain Sugar Mycarose."
Gautam Agnihotri Ph.D., June, 2000 Research Scientist, Schering-Plough
"Mechanistic Studies on Enzymes Involved in Deoxyhexose Biosynthesis and on the Inactivation of Enoyl-CoA hydratase by (Methylenecyclopropyl)formyl-CoA."
Lishan Zhao Ph.D., May, 2000 Senior Research Scientist, BioVerdant, Inc.
"Biosynthetic Studies of D-Desosamine and Engi- neered Biosynthesis of Methymycin/Pickromycin analogs Carrying Modified Deoxysugars."
Erich Molitor Ph.D., December, 2000 Research Scientist, Dow Pharma, Dow Chemical Company
"Mechanistic Studies of Cyclopropane Fatty Acid Synthase."
Pinghua Liu Ph.D., May, 2001 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Boston University
"Insights into the Enzymes in Fosfomycin Biosynthesis: Mechanistic Studies of HPP Epoxidase."
Jenefer Alam M.S., May, 2003 Research Scientist, Novartis Institute for Tropical Disease (NITD), Singapore
"Mechanistic Studies on the Biosynthesis of GDP-L-Colitose"
Vidusha Devasthali M.S., August, 2003 Research Associate, Stanford University Medical School
"Mechanistic Investigation of 1-Deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate Reductoisomerase"
Beth Paschal Ph.D., December, 2003 Research Scientist, New England Biolabs, Inc.
"Mechanistic Studies on Cyclopropyl Fatty Acid Synthase"
Noelle Beyer Ph.D., July, 2004 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Southwest State University, Marshall, MN
"I. Investigation of the Biosysnthesis of CDP-Colitose; II. Characterization of a Key Enzyme in the Biosynthesis of Mitomycin C."
Svetlana Borisova Ph.D., August, 2004 Prodoctoral Associate University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
"Genetic and Biochemical Studies of the Biosynthesis and Attachment of D-Desosamine,the Deoxy Sugar Component of Macrolide Antibiotics Produced by Streptomyces venezuelae"
Feng Yan Ph.D., December, 2004 Prodoctoral Associate University of California, San Francisco
"Biochemical and Spectroscopic Studies of (S)-2-Hydroxypropylphosphonic Acid Epoxidase in Fosfomycin Biosynthesis"
Lin Hong Ph.D., December, 2004 Research Scientist GNF, San Diego
"Biochemical Studies of the Enzymes Involved in Deoxysugar D-Forosamine Biosynthesis"
William Kittleman Ph.D., December, 2006 Prodoctoral Associate University of Michigan
"Characterization and Mechanistic Studies of the Type 2 Isopentenyl Diphosphate:Dimethyallyl Diphosphate Isomerase from Staphylococcus aureus"
Chad Melancon III Ph.D., December, 2006 Postdoctoral Associate Scripps Research Institute
"Investigation and Engineering of Macrolide Antibiotic Sugar Biosynthesis and Glycosylation Pathways of Actinomycetes"
Peng Gao Ph.D., August, 2007 Postdoctoral Associate Texas A&M University, Health Science Center
"Studies of Activation, Automodification, and Transmodification of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1"
Wei-Luen Allen Yu Ph.D., December, 2007 Postdoctoral Associate University of California, San Diego
"Studies of the Biosynthesis of the Nitrosuagr D-Kijanose and the Function of the Glycosyltransferase Helper Protein in Glycosylation of Macrolide Antibiotics"