Vikram Shende's research group studies the structure and function of molecules found in nature, and how we can engineer enzymes—proteins that catalyze chemical reactions—that biosynthesize these “natural products.”
Vikram comes to Occidental from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he was a National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellow. He earned his Ph.D. in chemical biology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a pair of bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
What drew you to teach at Occidental?
The thing that first drew me to Oxy was how incredibly active the STEM faculty were in research. I wanted to be at a place where I would have the institutional support to continue my independent research and the resources to teach contemporary lecture and lab courses, and Oxy was a perfect fit. The thing that sealed the deal was the people who make up our community. Since I first stepped foot on campus for my interview, I have continued to be impressed by the kindness, determination, and curiosity of the students, and all the faculty, staff, administration, and everyone else have been so welcoming that it makes it easy to know I made the right choice and I’m here for keeps.
When did you first become interested in chemical biology natural products?
My introduction to natural products (molecules isolated from natural sources) came from attending a national meeting for the American Chemical Society when I was an undergraduate student. I was completely blown away by a presentation where a researcher recounted the discovery halichondrin B, a complex natural product isolated from a sea sponge that was found to possess extraordinarily potent anti-cancer activity and the subsequent decades long odyssey to bring a version of that molecule to market as an FDA-approved treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Since that presentation, I have been fascinated by the diversity of molecules that can be found in Nature and have dedicated my career to exploring the potential applications of natural products in medicine, agriculture, and as commodity chemicals (dyes, flavors, fragrances, etc.) and a new, but growing facet of our group is understanding the native function of natural products and how they shape their respective ecosystems.
Do you have a favorite class that you are teaching, and why?
I’m having a great time teaching Biochemistry (Chem350) this semester because I get to show students how the foundational theories they’ve learned in their introductory chemistry and biology courses culminate to inform our understanding of how biology works at a molecular level. In the associated lab (Chem350L) we get to apply this understanding to addressing real- world problems, and this semester students are and characterizing protein targets for the next generation of antibiotics all the while building highly valuable and marketable skills and learning contemporary techniques used in modern biotech.
Anything else you would like to add?
One of the things I love of about natural products, is that it is such a broad area of research and there are connections across ecology, materials science, art, medicine, agriculture, conservation, anthropology and so many other disciplines. I am a firm believer that in order to solve the complex problems we face today, we need new and diverse perspectives.