Molecular and Cell Biology, UConn

David Goldhamer Inducted into Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering

Making CASE: Nine UConn Faculty Inducted into Prestigious Group - UConn Today UConn scientists, engineers, doctors, and leaders account for 25% of new members to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering

The department is excited to announce that seven MCB students have been chosen as 2026 University Scholars!

Congratulations to

Riddhi Bansal
Anna Coulter
Rebecca Denhart
Shailaja Gillett
Anna Johnson
Jaclyn Kolor
Mackenzie Robillard

See the UConn Scholar Program announcement to learn more about the scholars.

2026 University Scholars | University Scholar Program Rachel Ainsworth Major: Physics Project Title: Using Machine Learning to optimize a 3D magneto-optical trap laser polarization and intensity for trap perfor ...

MCB Search: Laboratory Assistant 1

The Molecular and Cell Biology Department is seeking to fill a 12-month Laboratory Assistant (UCP 1) position. The successful candidate will provide support for undergraduate teaching laboratories in the Department and assist faculty in the care, use, and maintenance of animals, plants, chemicals, and/or reagents used in research and/or teaching.

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Adam Zweifach has agreed to serve as head of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology for a five-year term, starting Jan. 1, 2026. Adam Zweifach

Adam earned his BA in biology from the University of Pennsylvania, his Ph.D. in physiology from Yale University, and completed his postdoctoral training at Stanford University. Before joining UConn in 2006, he was an assistant and associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Most recently, he served as interim head during the fall 2025 semester

MCB is hiring - Laboratory Technician 1

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Heaslip Lab:
Cell contractility: Myosin-II-mediated contraction of fast-crawling amoebae
Curr Biol.

Cell contractility: Myosin-II-mediated contraction of fast-crawling amoebae - PubMed Myosin-II-based cell contractility is essential for cell motility and cytokinesis in species within the Amorphea eukaryotic supergroup. New work demonstrates myosin-II-based contractility in evolutionarily divergent, fast-crawling amoebae for the first time.

Murray Lab:
The important interplay between metal ions and the intermediate filament protein vimentin

The important interplay between metal ions and the intermediate filament protein vimentin - PubMed Vimentin is a principal intermediate filament (IF) protein that is essential for maintaining cytoskeleton architecture and cellular mechanical integrity. Growing evidence is revealing that metal ions play critical roles in modulating the structure, assembly, and mechanics of vimentin IFs. Despite th...

May/Alder/Zweifach Labs:
Mitochondria-Targeted Peptides and Bilayer Composition Modulate Membrane Electroporation under Elevated Electrochemical

Cell Stress Society Internationalhttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c04092

New publication from the Alder/Alexandrescu Labs

NMR assignments of the human homodimeric mitochondrial ATP synthase inhibitor IF1 - Biomolecular NMR Assignments ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (IF1) is the only known endogenous, proteinaceous inhibitor of mitochondrial ATP synthase in mammals. The inhibitor forms an antiparallel coiled-coil, which binds ATP synthase through an N-terminal α-helix extension that is disordered in the free protein. Because the IF1 ...

HHMI launched a new Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program designed to support rising juniors and seniors who are eager to deepen their engagement in authentic research experiences.

Calling all rising juniors & seniors: Applications for our ’26 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program are now open! Interested in a career in biological or biomedical research? Nine weeks, hands-on research, generous stipend, & mentorship from some of the nation’s top scientists — learn more about the Cech Fellows Program today: bit.ly/CechFellows

First-year MCB Ph.D. student Rey Carten from the May Lab received an outstanding poster award at the Molecular Biophysics in the Northeast meeting at the University of New Hampshire on October 11, 2025 (mbnmeeting.org). Congratulations to Rey!
Pictured: Rey Carten 3rd from the right

CSSI names a new award in honor of MCB Professor Emeritus Larry Hightower

The award, the Dr. Larry Hightower Award for Excellence in Mentorship, was created in the spirit of Dr. Hightower and honors mentors who pair high scientific standards with care for their trainees. They invest time, give clear guidance, share credit, and build inclusive, collaborative labs. Their steady support helps trainees become independent scientists and strengthens our community. Presented biennially at the CSSI International Meeting, this award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional dedication to mentoring in the fields of cellular stress, molecular chaperones, and proteostasis in health and disease. The award honors those who have inspired and guided the next generation of scientists, fostered collaborative and supportive research environments, and advanced the values of the Society through their commitment to training and leadership. The selected individual receives a plaque recognizing their achievement.

The first recipient of this award was announced at the 2025 International Symposium on Heat Shock Proteins in Biology, Medicine and the Environment. Society President Mehdi Mollapour is on the far left and Dr. Hightower is on the far right