Group Photo, June 2012. Front Row (from left): Indu Chelliah, Michelle Legaspi, Karen Ruff, Scott Strobel, Katie Smith, Carly Shanahan; Middle Row (from left): Tim Caradonna, Jeff Shaw, Brian Dunican, Meghan Griffin, Kaury Kucera, Patricia Gordon; Back Row (from left): Daniel Spakowicz, Jared Davis, Cambria Alpha, Dave Hiller, Nina Lehr, Jose Guedes, Robert Meehan. Not pictured: Madeline Cavanaugh.     Current Lab Members (updated July 2012)     Professor Scott A. Strobel Yale University Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry 266 Whitney Avenue, Room 309A J.W. Gibbs New Haven, CT 06520-8114 Office Phone: 203-432-9772; Office Fax: 203-432-5767 Email: scott.strobel@yale.edu     Madeline Y. Cavanaugh Assistant to Professor Strobel & Undergraduate Registrar Yale University-Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry 266 Whitney Avenue, Room 309C J.W. Gibbs New Haven, CT 06520-8114 Tel: 203 432 5566 Email: madeline.cavanaugh@yale.edu     Katie Smith Associate Research Scientist Ph.D., Yale University, 2011 Ph.D. Advisor: Professor Scott Strobel Room 322 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-8949 Email: kathryn.smith@yale.edu     Patricia Gordon Lab Manager Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Yale University Room 321 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-9206 Email: patricia.gordon@yale.edu         Dave Hiller NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, 2006 Ph.D., University of California Santa Barbara, 2005 Ph.D. Advisor: Professor John Perona Current: Kinetic isotope effect on ribosomal peptide bond formation. Room 322 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-8949 Email: david.hiller@yale.edu     Jeffrey Shaw Postdoctoral Associate, 2009 Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 2009 Ph.D. Advisor: Professor Rachel Green Current: Pending Room 322 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-8949 Email:jeffrey.shaw@yale.edu     Kaury Kucera Lecturer & Postdoctoral Associate, 2010 Ph.D., Yale University, 2010 Ph.D. Advisor: Professor Yorgo Modis Current: MB&B 230 Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory. Room 312 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-436-4896 Email: Kaury.Kucera@yale.edu     Karen Ruff Postdoctoral Associate, 2011 Ph.D., Harvard University, 2010 Ph.D. Advisor: Professor David Liu Current: Understanding cooperativity in the glycine riboswitch. Room 321 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-9206 Email: Karen.Ruff@yale.edu     Nina Lehr Postdoctoral Associate, 2012 Ph.D., University of Tuebingen, Germany, 2008 Ph.D advisor: Professor Ruediger Hampp Current: Study of volatile organic compound production and its genetic basis by endophytic fungi to develop alternative biofuels. Room 404 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-0656 Email: nina.lehr@yale.edu     Meghan Griffin Ph.D. Student Yale University Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry NSF Predoctoral Fellowship Project: Mechanism of mRNA cleavage at the A-Site Room 404 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-0656 Email: meghan.griffin@yale.edu     Daniel Spakowicz Ph.D. Student Yale University Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Project: Genetic basis of biofuel producing microbes. Room 322 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-8949 Email: daniel.spakowicz@yale.edu     Cambria Alpha Ph.D. Student Yale University Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Project: Identifying the basis for fungal resistance to volatile organic compounds produced by Muscodor albus. Room 321 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-9206 Email: cambria.alpha@yale.edu     Brian Dunican Ph.D. Student Yale University Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Project: Ribosome catalysis of peptide release. Room 322 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-8949 Email: brian.dunican@yale.edu     Robert Meehan Ph.D. Student Yale University Department of Chemistry Project: Sequence-specific determinants of Gene Regulation by the c-di-GMP Riboswitch Room 321 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-9206 Email: robert.meehan@yale.edu     Michelle Legaspi Ph.D. Student Yale University Department of Chemistry Project: Biodegradation of plastics by endophytic fungi Room 322 J.W.Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-432-8949 Email: michelle.legaspi@yale.edu     Indu Chelliah Yale Undergraduate '13 Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Project: Endophytic biodegradation of polystyrene Room 312 J.W. Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-436-4896 Email: indu.chelliah@yale.edu     Sharif Vakili BS/MS Yale Undergraduate '13 Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Project: A search for inhibitors of ß-amyloid (Aß) oligomeric assemblies: A treatment for Alzheimer's Disease Room 312 J.W. Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-436-4896 Email: sharif.vakili@yale.edu     Victor Kang BS Yale Undergraduate '14 Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Project: Fungal Power: Investigating the conversion of fatty acids into promising renewable research energy sources Room 312 J.W. Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-436-4896 Email: victor.kang@yale.edu     Giovanni Forcina BS Yale Undergraduate '14 Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Project: Probing for Biological and Chemical Diversity in Amazonian Endophytes Room 312 J.W. Gibbs, Lab Phone: 203-436-4896 Email: giovanni.forcina@yale.edu