Professor Michael Hecht
Professor of Chemistry
Master of Forbes College



Email: hecht at princeton.edu
Grant S. Murphy, Ph.D.
Ruth L. Kirchstein NRSA (F32) NIH Postdoctoral Fellow
Princeton University Writing Science & Engineering Fellow
Lecturer, Department of Chemistry


Grant uses a mixture of computational and experimental methods to design and evaluate protein structure and function. Grant received his Ph.D. from Professor Brian Kuhlman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a member of the Rosetta software development group. Grant has developed new methods to computationally design libraries of de novo proteins and he is currently investigating two new libraries that have produced millions of stable and folded de novo proteins.

Email: g.s.murphy at gmail.com
Shlomo Zarzhitsky, Ph.D.

Shlomo received his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Hanna Rapaport at Ben-Gurion University, Israel. Fascinated by the ability of designed peptides to form ordered and functional structures, Shlomo decided to plunge into the world of protein design and explore the vast sequence space in order to investigate non-conventional protein folding pathways. To address this problem he applies both chemical solid phase peptide synthesis as well as recombinant protein engineering tools. Outside the lab he enjoys hiking and perfecting his photography skills.


Email: shlomoz at princeton.edu
Ann Donnelly is a graduate student currently investigating the enzymatic potential of synthetic proteins. She attended Drew University (c/o 2009) and studied the chemistry of osmium clusters with Dr. Mary-Ann Pearsall, as well as archaeology. In her spare time, Ann enjoys skiing, hiking, playing the accordion and making pysanky.
NDSEG Graduate Fellow

Email: amularz at princeton.edu
Katie Digianantonio is a fifth year in the lab working on the biochemical mechanism of rescue SynSerB. She graduated Miami University with BSs in Chemistry and Mathematics, and is constantly reminded of her Midwestern upbringing in Ohio every time she says "pop". She swims and runs when inspired, and is obsessed with her cat, Mabelline.
NSF Graduate Fellow

Email: kdigiana at princeton.edu
Kenric Hoegler is a fifth year Graduate student in the molecular biology department. His interests lie in better understanding the rudimentary structures and functions of metalloproteins. Kenric received his B.A. in Anthropology from Fordham University in 2008, then went on to do his post-baccalaureate work at Pace University where he studied neurite development in Dr. John Horne's lab. Outside of the lab, Kenric participates on the Princeton club lacrosse team, and enjoys painting and playing guitar.

Email: khoegler at princeton.edu
Scott Mellon is a fourth year graduate student in Molecular Biology. He is currently using a GFP-folding reporter to investigate the efficacy of folding in synthetic proteins. Scott received a B.S. degree in biology and a A.B. degree philosophy from Lafayette College in 2012. In his spare time he enjoys card games and attempting to find practical uses for a philosophy degree.

Email: mellon at princeton.edu
Christina Karas is a third year graduate student in the molecular biology department. She is currently working on creating libraries of active de novo proteins based on stable templates. Christina received her B.A. from Drew University where she studied biochemistry and molecular biology. Outside of the lab she enjoys equestrian sports, visiting the beach, and cooking plant-based foods.

Email: ckaras at princeton.edu
Sarangan Chari is an alumnus of this department having done his doctoral work on carboranes under the guidance of Prof. Maitland Jones, Jr.. After many forays in industrial and academic labs, he wound up as an investment banker. Having seen the error of his ways, he is back in science trying his hand at Synthetic Biology. His current project involves deciphering the mechanism of auxotroph rescue by synthetic proteins. Outside of the lab, he is mostly concerned with ameliorating the effects of decades of sleep deprivation.

Email: chari at princeton.edu
Matt is a senior in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department. He is currently working on a project related to the one of the lab's latest computationally designed libraries, which is mainly focused on solving protein structures using NMR. Outside the lab, he is an active member of the theater community on campus, as an actor, singer, and technician, and enjoys leading trips for the freshman pre-orientation program, Outdoor Action. After graduation, Matt is hoping to pursue graduate work in the areas of protein engineering and synthetic biology.

Email: mvolpe at princeton.edu
Bennett is a senior in the chemistry department developing a new amyloid-like library. Outside the lab, he writes entirely too much for his own good and enjoys both the serenity of nature and the mayhem of the Princeton University Band.

Email: bam2 at princeton.edu
James is a senior in the Chemistry department who is currently investigating the enzymatic potential of the third-generation and NextGen libraries. Outside of lab, he enjoys rowing, singing a cappella, and eating pasta.

Email: jagolia at princeton.edu
Taylor is a senior in the Chemistry department working on a project involving the deduction of de novo protein structures using NMR. Outside the lab, she loves to dance, explain what is and isn't gluten free, and daydream about traveling. ​

Email: tlmyers at princeton.edu
Liz is a sophomore in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department who is currently working on eludidating the functions of library proteins using phage display. Outside of lab, she enjoys playing club soccer, volunteering at the hospital, and skating on Lake Carnegie.

Email: estanley at princeton.edu