Principal Investigator
Chad Rienstra, Ph.D
Position title: NMRFAM Co-Investigator, Professor of Biochemistry
Email:
crienstra
Phone: 608-261-1167
B.S., Macalester College
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Postdoctoral, Columbia University
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Before 6am – coffee, After 6am – zero-sugar Monster energy
Laboratory Staff
Boden Vanderloop
Position title: Research Specialist
Email:
bhvanderloop
B.S. in Biochemistry (2015), Texas Tech University
M.S. in Chemical Biology (2017), Texas Tech University
Research: Isotopic labeling, production, and purification of natural product macrolides, Intrinsically disordered proteins, and membrane proteins. General laboratory management.
Favourite Caffeinated Beverage: Poor man’s cappuccino (Milk, crystallized coffee, mix well)
Joined Rienstra lab in 2022
Postdoctoral Fellows
Collin Borcik
Position title: Postdoctoral Fellow
Email:
cborcik
B.S. in Biochemistry (2016), Texas Tech University
Ph.D. in Biochemistry (2021), Texas Tech University
Research: I am currently investigating methodologies for structural refinement of patient-derived neurodegenerative protein fibrils implicated in Parkinson’s disease.
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Coffee
Joined Rienstra lab in 2021
Rajat Garg
Position title: Research Associate
Email:
rgarg32
BS-MS in Chemistry (2015), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali
Ph.D. in Chemistry (2021), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali
Research: I am primarily involved in developing better models to quantify experimental data solid state MAS NMR experiments. In future, I also plan to work on developing better pulse sequences in solid state NMR.
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Coffee
Joined Rienstra lab in 2021
Graduate Students
Benjamin Harding
Position title: PhD student, Biophysics
Email:
bdharding
B.S. in Biochemistry (2020), Miami University (Ohio)
Research: I study complex biomolecular structures at the interface of experimental SSNMR spectroscopy and computational technology developments.
Favourite caffeinated beverage: 5 hour energy and black coffee
Joined Rienstra lab in 2020
Moses Milchberg
Position title: PhD student, Biophysics
Email:
milchberg
B.Sc. Physics (2020), McGill University
Research: Interactions of alpha-synuclein and phospholipid vesicles
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Coffee
Joined Rienstra lab in 2021
Owen Warmuth
Position title: PhD student, Biophysics
Email:
owarmuth
B.S. in Biochemistry (2021), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research: I am researching computational and analytical approaches to data visualization and model building in solid-state NMR and the intersection of NMR and cryo-EM as tools in structural biology
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Black coffee
Joined Rienstra lab in 2021
Undergraduate Students
Aarav Barde
Email:
abarde
Biochemistry
Research: Physical Characterization of molecules and polymers to develop new NMR techniques and technologies.
Favourite beverage: Homemade Chai
Joined Rienstra lab in 2023
Joe Edge
Email:
jredge
Mechanical Engineering with Engineering Thermal Energy Systems Certificate
Research: Tool/instrument design and 3D printing to support NMR experiments.
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Mountain Dew
Joined Rienstra lab in 2022
Zachary Farmer
Email:
zafarmer
Chemistry
Research: Organic synthesis of materials to support the technology development of NMR experiments
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Red Eye
Joined Rienstra lab in 2024
Joe McNerney
Email:
jjmcnerney
Neurobiology
Research: I grow and purify isotopically labelled alpha-synuclein and prepare fibrils for study by Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Vanilla Latte
Joined Rienstra lab in 2022
Yuanchi (Gary) Pang
Email:
ypang29
Biochemistry
Research: I am working on production of Amphotericin B and organic synthesis of other materials for study by NMR spectroscopy.
Favourite caffeinated beverage: Zero-sugar Monster, Mango Loco Monster, Cold Brew, and Iced Americano
Joined Rienstra lab in 2022
Avery Park
Email:
gpark63
Biochemistry
Research: I am working on the production of isotopically labeled ergosterol for the concurrent study of mechanistically related antifungals, natamycin and nystatin by solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy
Favourite beverage: Bubbl’r
Joined Rienstra lab in 2024
Musaab Traeen
Email:
tareen
Genetics & Genomics, Global Health
Research: I am researching modulators of alpha-synuclein aggregation in vitro using NMR spectroscopy and Thioflavin T assays, with the goal of applying these findings to the amplification of patient-derived tissue samples for future therapeutic and diagnostic research in Parkinson’s disease.
Favourite beverage: Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice
Joined Rienstra lab in 2023