About

Dr. Christina Bourne is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She completed her education in Oklahoma with a BS from the Norman campus and a PhD from the OU Health Center. She is a first-gen college graduate who found her passion for biochemistry through undergraduate research at OU.

Since returning as a faculty member in 2014, Dr. Bourne has hosted more than forty undergraduate researchers in her structural biology lab, including members from the FYRE program, McNair Scholars, LSAMP, INBRE, and the Honors college UROP and HRAP programs, in addition to those just wanting to try out research! The contributions of these students have been pivotal to progress, as acknowledged through authorship on research papers published by her team. In addition, they have won many awards for presentations at conferences and have gone on to rewarding careers in professional, health, and research fields. In 2020, she was honored with the OU Nancy L. Mergler Faculty Mentor Award for Undergraduate Research. Dr. Bourne maintains an active research team of undergraduate and graduate students in the Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center on “south campus”. Her research lab has an overarching focus on how different biomolecules fit together, with emphases on new ways to inhibit bacterial cell growth and on eukaryotic lipid transport mechanisms.

Dr. Bourne has a long-standing interest in positive mentoring models, seeded from her own highly transformative experiences with supportive mentors. She recently completed a Faculty Fellows position with the OU Graduate College to develop a six-workshop series to prepare OU faculty with best practices in effective mentorship. These concepts carry over well to the Office of UReCA; in addition, she also serves as a co-director of the First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) housed in the Honors College.

Maya Fitch is the Senior Administraive Assistant for both the Arts and Humanities Forum and UReCA. They hold a BA in History: Musuem Studies from the University of Central Oklahoma. Maya has a background working for Academic Insitutions and Non-Profits in the areas of programing, outreach, and research. They joined the Fourm in 2025 and are excited to support Undergaduate Research at OU.