Alanna Schepartz’s research reflects broad interests within chemical biology. She seeks to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms that control interactions between proteins, the trafficking of peptide mimetics, and the process of compartmentalization in living cells.
Schepartz is also providing undergraduates with early, hands-on exposure to chemical biology through a pair of year-long courses – Chemical Biology and Chemical Biology Laboratory – that begin in the second semester of the sophomore year. The lecture course provides a sophisticated survey of the field, with case studies and articles from primary literature, while the laboratory course is open-ended and research-driven. An essential component of both is contact between undergraduates and graduate student mentors.