Major Professor: Singh
Email: William.A.Powell-1@ou.edu
Hometown: Aurora, CO
Education:
B.S., Biochemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
William (Andy) Powell is a graduate student and biochemist working in the research group of Dr. Shanteri Singh. He was raised in Colorado and attended the Community College of Denver before earning a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Colorado State University (CSU) in 2022. While at CSU, Andy worked with the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis under the mentorship of Dr. Tom Santangelo, learning the fundamentals of biochemistry and molecular genetics. Upon graduating with a BS, he sought opportunities to work towards the development of novel biocatalysts through structure-guided enzyme engineering. Exploration of the Dr. Singh Group’s most recent publications led to conversations with her and a visit to Norman, followed by application and acceptance to the Ph.D. program in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Since joining Dr. Singh’s group, Andy has worked on promiscuous prenyl- and methyltransferases, screening them for activity on novel substrates to find any to engineer for expanded substrate scope. He thanks the following for this opportunity: Dr Singh, his parents, and the University of Oklahoma Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Admissions Board.
