Sarah C Keane
Sarah Keane graduated from Furman University with a B.S. in Chemistry (2007). Under the direction of David Giedroc, she received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Indiana University (2012). Sarah then accepted a postdoctoral position with Michael Summers at The University of Maryland Baltimore County. Sarah joined the University of Michigan in January 2017 with a joint appointment in the Biophysics and Chemistry departments. The Keane lab is interested in uncovering the structures and mechanisms of biologically relevant noncoding RNAs using NMR spectroscopy complemented with other biochemical and biophysical tools.
Postdocs:
Yaping Liu
2014 B.S. Chemistry, Sichuan University, China
2019 Ph.D. Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry(SIOC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
2020 Postdoc, Environmental Epigenomes, Johns Hopkins University
Research interests: I'm interested in studying the structures of biomacromolecules, such as RNA, DNA, proteins and their interaction by using NMR and other structural biology approaches. Structure is the basis for understanding biological functions and will help develop the therapeutic functions.
Outside the lab: hiking, travelling, fitness, badminton
Martin O’Steen
2014 B.S. Molecular Biology, Psychology, University of Central Florida
2019 M.S. Chemistry, University of Central Florida
2022 Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Central Florida
Research interests: My research interests encompass the structure-function relationship found in functional nucleic acid species, such as riboswitches, aptamers, and ribozymes. In particular, my interest lies in elucidating the differences in folding patterns and binding mechanisms of aptamers and riboswitches. This knowledge will further the development of aptamers into useful bioanalytical tools and therapeutics.
Outside The Lab: Fitness, Cooking, Gardening, Tabletop Games and collectible card games.
Graduate Students:
Aldrex Munsayac
2017 A.S. Chemistry, Physics, and Math, Merced College
2020 B.S. Chemistry, Minor in Applied Math, UC Santa Cruz
Graduate Student, Chemistry Department
Outside of lab: basketball, gym, audiobooks, YouTube/Netflix, chess, and eating food/trying new cuisines.
Grace Arhin
2019, BSc. Chemistry, KNUST, Ghana
Graduate Student - Biophysics
Outside of lab - watching comedy and crime tv shows, gyming and hanging out with friends
Cade Harkner
2022 B.S. Chemistry (Honors), University of Wisconsin – Madison
Research Interests: To me, RNA is perhaps one of the most interesting and versatile biomolecules: biology's Swiss Army knife. RNA protein interactions are at the heart of many crucial biochemical processes, and I am excited to take my previous experiences with mRNA and move to investigating the vast world of non-coding RNAs!
Outside the lab: tabletop gaming, video games, hanging out with friends, reading, and hiking
Megan Westwood
2019 B.S. Chemistry, Missouri State University
2022 M.S. Chemistry, Missouri State University
Graduate Student, Biophysics
Outside of lab: playing with my dogs, video games, art, and reading
Neha Deshpande
2022 Integrated M.Sc. Chemistry, S.V. National Institute of Technology, Surat, India
Graduate Student, Chemistry Department
Outside of lab: Cooking, art, fitness, and music
Undergraduates:
Jocelyn Chen
Junior, B.S. Biochemistry
Outside the lab: I enjoy going on runs, hanging out with friends, and playing the piano and violin.
Future: I hope to obtain my Ph.D. in Chemistry and pursue a career in academia in the future.
Sydney Steele
Senior, B.S. Biochemistry
Outside of lab: I enjoy watching movies, going on bug walks, and playing with my cat!
Future: I hope to obtain an MD/PhD to become a physician scientist.
Aiden Saunders
Junior, B.S. Biochemistry
Outside The Lab: I enjoy playing my saxophone, singing, acting, baking, and getting coffee
Future: I hope to obtain an M.S. or Ph.D. in biochemistry and pursue a career in industry.
Lily Haghpassand
Senior, B.S. Biochemistry
Outside of the lab: I enjoy fishing and gardening.
Future plans: Become a physician in the Army.
