MB&B Recipients of The 2022 Mary Ellen Jones Dissertation Prize

Clorice Reinhardt and Megan Brady
April 15, 2022

MB&B’s Mary Ellen Jones Dissertation Prize for 2022 will be shared by Megan Brady and Clorice Reinhardt.  

Megan Brady (Chuck Sindelar)

“Structural basis of flagellar filament asymmetry and supercoil templating by Leptospira sheath factors”

Leptospira are pathogenic bacteria that move in a corkscrew-like fashion to drill into host tissues. This motion is driven by two flagella, whip-like structures involved in cell motility. I studied the structure of the flagella, identifying a new flagellar component and providing insight into how flagella are put together.

Clorice Reinhardt (Sharon Hammes-Schiffer)

“Tyrosine Mediated Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions”

The transport of electrons plays essential roles in the function of many of our enzymes.  I used computational simulations and mathematical models to study how the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase moves electrons over long distances to help it make the building blocks of DNA.  I identified new parts of the enzyme that are key to making this process happen.

By Mark Solomon