2026 Welch Conference Poster Session

2026 Poster Awardees

Undergraduate Students

  1. Rachel Huber, Baylor College of Medicine – “Knockdown of hnRNPM Alters RNA Localization and Gene Expression Patterns at the Nuclear Lamina ”

  2. Dimitris Kalafatis, Texas A&M University – “A New Machine-Learning Tool to Predict Metal-Protein Interactions”

  3. Sarah Walbridge, Sam Houston State University – “Exploring the Reactivity of Two Baeyer-Villiger Monooxygenases for Synthetic Applications”

Graduate Students

  1. Jared Head, The University of Texas at San Antonio – “Development of Biomedically Relevant Fluorophores Based on Cyanine 9 Scaffold”

  2. Alex Monterde, The University of Texas at Austin – “Regiodivergent Cu-Catalyzed Oxidative Carboamination of Conjugated Dienes”

  3. Autumn Andras & Nehal Fatima, Texas A&M University – “DNA-Inspired Functional Sulfurous Polymers from a Cyclic Monomer Derived from d-Thymidine”

Postdoctoral Trainees

  1. Jie Zhang, The University of Texas at Austin – “An In Vitro Platform for the Rapid and Scalable Biocatalysis of Complex Polyketides”

  2. Alexander McDonald, Baylor College of Medicine – “A Ca²⁺-Selective Light-Gated Ion Channel for Direct Optical Control of Intracellular Calcium and Synaptic Transmission

  3. Arron Deacy, University of Minnesota – “Contra-Thermodynamic α,β- to β,γ-Photodeconjugation of a CO2-Derived δ-Lactone Enables Both Facile Ring Opening- and Thiol-ene Radical-Polymerizations”

    Laboratory Heads

    1. Ghislain Breton, Baylor College of Medicine – “A specialized RNase P Subunit Adapts a Core tRNA Processing Enzyme to Generate the Non-Canonical 3'end of MALAT1”
    2. Linxiao Chen, University of North Texas – “Understanding and Rationally Tackling Polymer-Specific Challenges in Plastic Recycling Catalysis” & Joseph Gauthier, Texas Tech University – “The pH effect in hydrogen evolution is a consequence of creating a solvated hydroxide ion
    3. John Gladysz, Texas A&M University – “Electron Density Polarization Across Polyyne Chains in Molecular Polygons Enabling Columbic Cation Host Properties”