George P. Lisi (CV)
Thomas J. and Alice M. Tisch Assistant Professor Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry George is a New England native, receiving his undergraduate education at Fairfield University (2009) and Ph.D. at Dartmouth (2014) under the direction of Dean E. Wilcox and Ekaterina Pletneva. His graduate studies focused on the thermodynamic and spectroscopic properties of zinc- and iron-containing proteins. George was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Yale University (2014 - 2018) under the mentorship of Pat Loria, studying the biochemistry and biophysics of enzyme structure, dynamics and allosteric regulation by NMR. He joined the Brown faculty in September 2018, where his group studies the chemistry and structural biology of enzyme complexes. |
George teaches introductory and advanced biochemistry courses for undergraduates and graduate students and is a guest lecturer on topics of protein biophysics, allostery, and drug discovery in several other courses at Brown, as well as at outside Universities.
Helen Belato - Graduate Student - Helen received a B.S. in molecular & cell biology from the University of Connecticut and is a TSGP Ph.D. student investigating the allosteric pathways within Cas9. She received an NIH T32 training award in Pharmacological Sciences and the NSF GRFP in 2020.
Maddie Clark - Graduate Student - Maddie received a B.S. in cellular, molecular, and physiological biology from Christopher Newport University. She joined the MCB Ph.D. program in 2021 and is studying the structure and mechanism of the HuR RNA binding protein.
Jennifer Cui - Graduate Student - Jenn received a B.S. in biochemistry from Queen's University and M.S. from McMaster University, while also conducting research at the University of Ottawa, the Matrix Biology Institute, and Harvard Medical School. She joined the MCB Ph.D. program in 2019 and is investigating the structure, dynamics, and function of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs).
Alexa Knight - Graduate Student - Alexa received a B.A. in anthropology from UMass, Boston and a B.S. in biomedical sciences from the University of Washington. She previously studied outer membrane vesicle biogenesis in pathogenic bacteria and currently studies the mechanism of specificity and function in a thermophilic Cas9.
Camila Molina - Graduate Student - Camila received a B.S. in forensic science at Bay Path University and prior to joining the lab, conducted X-ray crystallographic research at UMass Amherst. Her Ph.D. project focuses on molecular characterization of allostery in Cas12a.
Erin Skeens - Graduate Student - Erin received a B.S. in biology from Tufts University and prior to joining the lab, she studied immune checkpoint regulators at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She joined the MCB graduate program in 2020 and is investigating the latent allostery and biochemical signaling in MIF.
Vinnie Widjaja - Graduate Student - Vinnie received a B.S. in chemistry & biochemistry from San Diego State University and carried out prior research at SDSU and Stanford. Her Ph.D. research investigates the allosteric and inhibitory mechanisms of MIF-2. She has been a MARC Scholar, and NIH IMSD and T32 Fellowship recipient, and received the NSF GRFP in 2023.
Mariana Floody - Undergraduate - Mariana is a junior undergraduate concentrating in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Her work in the lab centers around mechanisms of ligand and drug binding in multifunctional cytokines.
Lab Alumni
Postdocs
Emily Chen - 2022 - 2023 - Subsequent position: Scientist, New England Biolabs
Kyle East - 2019 - 2021 - Subsequent position: Scientist, biomolecular NMR spectroscopy, Eli Lilly & Co.
Graduate Students
Emily Chen - Ph.D. 2022 - Subsequent position: Postdoctoral associate, Brown University
Undergraduates
Jeet Patel - 2022-2023 - Subsequent position: Research associate, University of Florida College of Medicine
Yannie Lam - 2022-2023 - Subsequent position: Research associate, Stanford University
Adela Herce - 2021-2022 - Subsequent position: Research associate, Brigham & Women's Hospital
Aditya Rao - 2021 - 2022 - Subsequent position: Research associate, Texas Heart Institute
Jon Scalabrini - 2021 - 2022 - Subsequent position: NIH Post-baccalaureate Program (NIDDK/NHLBI)
J.P. Moise - 2020 - 2021 - Subsequent position: West Virginia University School of Medicine
Nadia Goldberg - 2019 - 2021 - Subsequent position: Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
Samuel Croes - 2019 - 2021 - Subsequent position: Life Sciences Consultant, Acsel Health
Allison Gallagher - 2019 - Subsequent position: VCU School of Pharmacy
Ji Yun (Estelle) Han - 2019 - Subsequent position: The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Maddie Clark - Graduate Student - Maddie received a B.S. in cellular, molecular, and physiological biology from Christopher Newport University. She joined the MCB Ph.D. program in 2021 and is studying the structure and mechanism of the HuR RNA binding protein.
Jennifer Cui - Graduate Student - Jenn received a B.S. in biochemistry from Queen's University and M.S. from McMaster University, while also conducting research at the University of Ottawa, the Matrix Biology Institute, and Harvard Medical School. She joined the MCB Ph.D. program in 2019 and is investigating the structure, dynamics, and function of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs).
Alexa Knight - Graduate Student - Alexa received a B.A. in anthropology from UMass, Boston and a B.S. in biomedical sciences from the University of Washington. She previously studied outer membrane vesicle biogenesis in pathogenic bacteria and currently studies the mechanism of specificity and function in a thermophilic Cas9.
Camila Molina - Graduate Student - Camila received a B.S. in forensic science at Bay Path University and prior to joining the lab, conducted X-ray crystallographic research at UMass Amherst. Her Ph.D. project focuses on molecular characterization of allostery in Cas12a.
Erin Skeens - Graduate Student - Erin received a B.S. in biology from Tufts University and prior to joining the lab, she studied immune checkpoint regulators at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She joined the MCB graduate program in 2020 and is investigating the latent allostery and biochemical signaling in MIF.
Vinnie Widjaja - Graduate Student - Vinnie received a B.S. in chemistry & biochemistry from San Diego State University and carried out prior research at SDSU and Stanford. Her Ph.D. research investigates the allosteric and inhibitory mechanisms of MIF-2. She has been a MARC Scholar, and NIH IMSD and T32 Fellowship recipient, and received the NSF GRFP in 2023.
Mariana Floody - Undergraduate - Mariana is a junior undergraduate concentrating in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Her work in the lab centers around mechanisms of ligand and drug binding in multifunctional cytokines.
Lab Alumni
Postdocs
Emily Chen - 2022 - 2023 - Subsequent position: Scientist, New England Biolabs
Kyle East - 2019 - 2021 - Subsequent position: Scientist, biomolecular NMR spectroscopy, Eli Lilly & Co.
Graduate Students
Emily Chen - Ph.D. 2022 - Subsequent position: Postdoctoral associate, Brown University
Undergraduates
Jeet Patel - 2022-2023 - Subsequent position: Research associate, University of Florida College of Medicine
Yannie Lam - 2022-2023 - Subsequent position: Research associate, Stanford University
Adela Herce - 2021-2022 - Subsequent position: Research associate, Brigham & Women's Hospital
Aditya Rao - 2021 - 2022 - Subsequent position: Research associate, Texas Heart Institute
Jon Scalabrini - 2021 - 2022 - Subsequent position: NIH Post-baccalaureate Program (NIDDK/NHLBI)
J.P. Moise - 2020 - 2021 - Subsequent position: West Virginia University School of Medicine
Nadia Goldberg - 2019 - 2021 - Subsequent position: Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
Samuel Croes - 2019 - 2021 - Subsequent position: Life Sciences Consultant, Acsel Health
Allison Gallagher - 2019 - Subsequent position: VCU School of Pharmacy
Ji Yun (Estelle) Han - 2019 - Subsequent position: The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University