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Biochemistry Faculty Candidate Seminar – Dr. Nate Ennis
February 25 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Please join us this Tuesday 25 February for a Biochemistry faculty candidate seminar for the position of Plant Molecular Biochemist
“Enhancing photosynthesis through de novo protein design”
Dr. Nate Ennist, University of Washington
Bio
Dr. Ennist is a postdoctoral researcher and instructor in Biochemistry at the University of Washington, currently directing a research grant centered on protein design for high-efficiency photosynthesis, with the goal of developing new photosynthetic pathways for solar energy conversion. This project is funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). He holds a BS in Chemistry with a BA in Physics from Emory University and a PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania, working under the guidance of Dr. P. Leslie Dutton to develop an artificial photosynthetic reaction center.
In his postdoctoral research with Dr. David Baker, he developed physics-based computational methods and machine learning methods to design new light-responsive enzymes and electron-transfer proteins. His multi-disciplinary approaches use spectroscopy, biological redox chemistry, molecular biology, and structural biology to evaluate the structure and function of de novo-designed proteins capable of light harvesting and charge separation. He is passionate about training and inspiring the next generation of scientists to appreciate and apply this innovative technology to complex problems.