James Christenson, Former NIH Trainee, Wins National Award

James Christenson was the sole recipient of the Founder’s Award travel grant by the U.S. Enzyme Mechanism research community for 2017. There is only one award given each year to a graduate student or postdoc. In addition to a monetary award, he has been invited to present at the Enzyme Mechanisms Conference in January. James was an NIH BioTechnology Training Grant recipient and has been supported by MnDRIVE funds. He completed a research internship at BASF in Germany. James was awarded for his research on bacteria biosynthesis of hydrocarbons, which has uncovered how microbes produce beta-lactone natural products. Beta-lactones are an emerging class of anti-obesity drugs, anti-cancer drugs, and next-generation antibiotics. James is a research associate in the Wackett and Wilmot labs.