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agodert@wells.edu
(315) 364-3268

Wells College
Aurora, NY 13026

Application of Chemistry to Biological Systems

I have always been fascinated with how complex life seems, and yet how elegantly simple it can be at the chemical level. Underlying all the biology that nature does is organic chemistry, and I am interested in studying the chemical workings of these biological systems. As a model, bacteria are much simpler to study than humans, and they also do some of the same, and often more, chemical reactions that human cells do. (Have you wondered why a cow can eat hay and we can't?) I am interested in elucidating functions of bacterial proteins, and then studying how these proteins work. Proteins are used by bacetia (and human cells too) to make molecules that the organism needs for survival. This inter-disciplinary research combines a number of areas of science including organic chemistry, molecular biology and biochemistry.

If you are interested in what type of research we can do here at Wells College, click on the following link: Research Presentation. You will see why bacteria are so great to study and what we can do in the lab in order to learn more about these fascinating organisms and their proteins.