Seminar
2026-02-24 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | 1131 Bioinformatics, 130 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
2026 Spring Seminar Series
Special seminars will occur January through February. 2026 Spring Seminar Series will occur March – April.
March 3
Vacant
March 10
vacant
March 17 – none
Spring break
March 24
Michael Kemp, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Wright State University
Hosts: Laura Lindsey-Boltz and Aziz Sancar
March 31
vacant
April 7
Guochun Jiang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Biophysics
UNC-CH
Host: Jean Cook
Title: “TBD”
April 14
David Boehr, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry (Sabbatical in Craig Campbell’s Lab at UNC)
Penn State University
Host: Rebecca Berlow
Title: “TBD”
April 21
Xiaojun Ren, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
UNC-Charlotte
Host: Jill Dowen

Seminar
2026-02-26 14:00 - 15:00 | 1131 Bioinformatics, 130 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
February 26 (2:00-3:00 pm ) rescheduled from January 27
Title: “Engineering bacterial signal transduction”

Seminar
2026-03-03 11:00 - 12:00 | 1131 Bioinformatics, 130 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
2026 Spring Seminar Series
Special seminars will occur January through February. 2026 Spring Seminar Series will occur March – April.
March 3
Title: “UFMylation Regulates Mitochondrial Metabolism and Development”
March 10
vacant
March 17 – none
Spring break
March 24
Michael Kemp, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Wright State University
Hosts: Laura Lindsey-Boltz and Aziz Sancar
March 31
vacant
April 7
Guochun Jiang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Biophysics
UNC-CH
Host: Jean Cook
Title: “TBD”
April 14
David Boehr, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry (Sabbatical in Craig Campbell’s Lab at UNC)
Penn State University
Host: Rebecca Berlow
Title: “TBD”
April 21
Xiaojun Ren, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
UNC-Charlotte
Host: Jill Dowen

Defense: Christopher Shelby
2026-03-09 13:30 - 14:30 | 1131 Bioinformatics, 130 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Biochemistry and Biophysics Student Defense:

Student:
Christopher Shelby (student of Dr. Brian Kuhlman)

Title:
“Enhancing enzymatic bioconjugation efficiency via computer-based installation of a substrate recruitment domain”

Date/location:
March 9, 2026
1:45 PM
Bioinformatics 1131

Seminar
2026-03-10 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-24 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-31 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-07 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-14 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-21 11:00 - 12:00 | 1131 Bioinformatics, 130 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
2026 Spring Seminar Series

Bagel breakfast
2026-03-11 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-13 11:00 - 12:00 | GMB 3rd floor atrium, 120 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States
Spring semester – bagel breakfast series: The bagel breakfast is scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday of every other month during the semester.

Pi Day 2026
2026-03-13 14:30 - 15:30 | GMB 3rd floor atrium, 120 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States
Friday, March 13, 2026

Pie Day

Time: 2:30–3:30 PM

Location: 3rd Floor Lobby
Join us for Pi(e) Day!

Defense: Jingting Chen
2026-03-17 09:30 - 10:30 | MBRB G202, 111 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, 27599, United States
Jingting Chen (Brunk)
March 17, 9:30am
MBRB G202

Training event
2026-03-24 15:00 - 16:00 | NC
To Genetic Medicine third floor occupants,

We have a brand-new dishwasher and training with the company representative is scheduled for next Tuesday (3/24) at 3pm. As this dishwasher is configured differently from our current one, training is required for users. If you or your lab is interested, please email me (lmcarey@email.unc.edu) so I can provide the representative with a head count. Let me know if there are any questions!

Leiah M Carey, PhD
Research Associate
Campbell Lab
Dept of Biochemistry and Biophysics
UNC School of Medicine

Thesis Defense: Uriel Jean-Baptiste (Neher lab)
2026-04-08 14:00 - 15:00 | Marsico 5004, 125 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Defense Title: “Navigating New Frontiers in Lipase Regulation”

Spring Commencement
2026-05-09 19:00 - 20:30 | NC
The 2026 Spring Commencement ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Kenan Stadium.
Additional information about 2026 Spring Commencement weekend, including the departmental ceremony schedule, will be released later in the fall semester. Departmental ceremonies will be held Thursday, May 7-Sunday, May 10. Regalia will be available to purchase at the Grad Fair on March 24, 2026, and at UNC Student Stores in the spring.

Wolfenden symposium
2026-05-18 08:30 - 16:00 | Pagano Room, 00-002 Lineberger, 450 West Drive, Chapel Hill, 27599, United States
2-27-2026
Dear Biochemistry & Biophysics and Chemistry Colleagues,

As many of you know, Laurie Betts and I are organizing a symposium honoring the life and work of our late UNC colleague, Dick Wolfenden, one of the great enzymologists and protein scientists.
The symposium will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026, on campus in Bioinformatics 1131.
Luminaries in the fields of proteins and enzymes have agreed to attend, including Dan Herschlag from Stanford, John Richard from SUNY Buffalo, George Rose from Hopkins, and Vern Schramm from Einstein. Each will give a talk in the morning.
The purpose of this message is to invite a selection of current UNC trainees. This is a chance for students and postdocs to absorb several amazing talks in one morning. We already have about 50 folks signed up. Given our budget, we think we can sustain (i.e., provide lunch and coffee for) up to 50 trainees. If you have a student (one or two only, please) who would benefit from these talks please the name(s), email address(es) and your name to our spreadsheet of trainee names.
Laurie and I will send a program in due courses.
Sincerely,
Gary and Laurie
Gary J. Pielak, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished Professor
UNC, Department of Chemistry

UNC School of Medicine Biochemistry and Biophysics, Chemistry Faculty, and our trainees,
There will be a symposium to celebrate the contributions of Richard (Dick) Wolfenden on May 18, 2026. Dick joined the Department in 1970 and was a renowned enzymologist, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and an enormously valued mentor and colleague. He retired in 2018 and passed away recently.
Richard Wolfenden PhD
The one-day event will be on campus in the Pagano Seminar Room of the Lineberger Cancer Center.
More details will come closer to the event. We are grateful to Drs. Gary Pielak and Laurie Betts who co-chair the organizing committee.
Gary Pielak gary_pielak@unc.edu
Laurie Betts laurie.betts0508@gmail.com
Obituary: https://obits.endswellfuneralhome.com/richard-wolfenden You may sign online guest book.

Holiday
2026-05-25 | NC
Memorial holiday UNC administrative offices are closed
