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Please help us to support the Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar Fund.
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In 2016, the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry established the Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar position to honor Professor Boyer's contributions to science, UCLA, and the world. Each year, we review applications from around the globe and select one recent Ph.D. graduate as the Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar. Our Boyer Teacher-Scholars conduct cutting-edge postdoctoral research under a faculty member and also teach undergrads who are passionate about chemistry and biochemistry. Donations to this fund will support postdoctoral research of the Boyer Teacher-Scholar and will also allow opportunities for scientific travel (e.g. conferences).

All donations to the Boyer Teacher-Scholar Fund will be matched
dollar for dollar by the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.

Montage

About the Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholars
Teacher Scholars
Spring 2018: Boyer, Libby, and Cram Teacher-Scholars (front row) and their faculty mentors (back row) – (Front row) Drs. Roshini Ramachandran, Agape Awad, Christian Beren, Rachel Prado, Shuming Chen, and Zhao Li. (Back row, from left) Professors Alex Spokoyny, Catherine Clarke, Chuck Knobler, Ken Houk, Yung-Ya Li. Not pictured are Jacqueline Kammeyer and her mentor Prof. Heather Maynard, co-mentor of Christian Beren, Prof. William Gelbart, and Prof. Louis Bouchard, mentor of Rachel Prado.

Agape Awad2018 Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar
Dr. Agape Awad (B.S. ’13, M.S. ’14, Ph.D. '18)
Agape was born and raised in Orange County, California, where her favorite pastimes were playing basketball, teaching Sunday School, enjoying the beach, and going to nearby Disneyland as often as possible. Agape received her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA, where she studied Biochemistry and conducted undergraduate research in the laboratory of Professor Catherine F. Clarke. Her research included elucidating the effects of Deuterated Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in mitigating lipid peroxidation, as well as studies related to Huntington’s Disease and potential treatment of disease phenotypes. Agape also completed two summer internships at Edwards Lifesciences, a leading medical device and heart valve company. During her time at Edwards, Agape worked in the Quality Chemistry and Quality Biology divisions, completing quality control testing on artificial heart valves that would be used in patients, as well as completing FDA regulatory projects to validate the safety of several medical devices developed by Edwards.

Agape joined the UCLA Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Graduate program in 2013 to pursue her Ph.D., studying the Coenzyme Q biosynthetic pathway in the lab of Professor Catherine F. Clarke. During this time, Agape was involved in the discovery of a novel Coenzyme Q biosynthetic protein, later to be renamed the 11th Coenzyme Q-related polypeptide, Coq11. In collaboration with the lab of Professor Tracy L. Johnson at UCLA, Agape investigated the effects of alternative splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, especially as it relates to the regulation by phosphorylation of the high-molecular weight Coenzyme Q biosynthetic complex, termed the ‘CoQ-Synthome’.

In addition to research, Agape served as a Teaching Assistant in many biochemistry and research ethics courses, instructing both undergraduate and graduate students.  Additionally, Agape mentored students in the laboratory on novel projects and served as a workshop leader and instructor for incoming freshman taking General Chemistry courses, as part of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute funded initiative led by Professor Johnson. Agape received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in June 2018. 

As a Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar, Agape will continue her post-doctoral research in the laboratory of Professor Clarke, studying RNA, splicing, Coenzyme Q biosynthetic regulation and post-translational modification, while continuing and expanding many valuable collaborations essential for the advancement of these novel projects. She will also serve as an Assistant Adjunct Professor for Introductory Biochemistry, instructing undergraduate students studying upper-division biochemistry.

Roshini Ramachandran2017 Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar
Dr. Roshini Ramachandran (B.S. ’10, M.S. ’12, Ph.D.’17) 
Roshini Ramachandran was born in Chennai (India). She received her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Madras University, Chennai and her master's degree in applied chemistry from Anna University, Chennai. She was elected as President of the Students' Union in her final year of undergraduate studies, through which she established various peer-teaching and outreach programs in her university.

In 2017, Roshini received a Ph.D in inorganic chemistry from The University of Georgia, Athens (UGA). Her Ph.D research focused on the synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials for defense and refractory applications. At UGA, she taught introductory and upper-level lecture and lab courses, and implemented several teaching-as-research projects to improve classroom engagement and inquiry-based learning. Roshini was instrumental in establishing UGA's 'STEM Peer Learning Assistant Program' and developed a pedagogy of teaching course for undergraduate learning assistants.  

As the Boyer Teacher-Scholar and assistant adjunct professor, Roshini teaches general chemistry to our first and second year undergraduates and conducts research in Professor Alex Spokoyny’s group.

Jacquelin Kammeyer2016 Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar
Dr. Jacquelin Kammeyer (B.A. ’12, Ph.D. '16)
Jacquelin was born in Indianapolis, IN. She attended Indiana University where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biochemistry. While at Indiana University, she was a member of the Alpha Chi Sigma Professional Chemistry Fraternity and engaged in numerous outreach events with AXE. She was also an active undergraduate teaching assistant in molecular biology and organic chemistry.

After graduating from Indiana university, she attended University of California-San Diego for her Ph.D. She conducted research in Professor Nathan C. Gianneschi’s group where she worked on developing synthetic polymer materials that display peptides for applications in delivery of peptide therapeutics, as well as imaging agents to cancerous tissue. While at UCSD, she participated in numerous outreach events through the Society for Women in Graduate School where she hoped to increase the interest of young women and students from underrepresented minorities to pursue a career in STEM. After graduating from UCSD, she came to UCLA as a postdoctoral Teacher- Scholar.

We will soon bid farewell to Jacquelin, our first 2016-2018 Boyer Teacher-Scholar, who will start a visiting lectureship position at Wellesley College in the Fall. In addition to teaching CHEM 30BL: Organic Chemistry Laboratory I with Professor Neil Garg, Jacquelin conducted research in Professor Heather Maynard's group, where she worked on the development of protein polymer conjugates for the stabilization of therapeutic proteins. 


Contributions to the fund can be made online using the button below or by check payable to the "UCLA Foundation", in memo line please note "Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar Fund #64217O", and mail to the Chair's Office, UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 607 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Questions about the fund may be directed to chair@chem.ucla.edu or 310-825-3958.

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