Faculty

The Landick lab research focuses on (1) RNA polymerase, the central enzyme of gene expression in all free-living organisms; (2) mechanisms by which gene expression by RNA polymerase is regulated and can be re-programmed for biodesign; and (3) applications of these basic research advances to microbial biotechnology and to antibiotic discovery. Our basic research focus is to understand how the fundamental properties of RNA polymerase, largely conserved from bacteria to human, make it susceptible to pausing, arrest, or termination and how elongation regulators, nucleoprotein structures, and metabolic, developmental, and environmental signals alter these properties. We use a variety of approaches, including genetics, biomolecular chemistry, synthetic biology, systems biology, biophysics, and structural biology, to study both fundamental and applied paradigms of gene regulation. Lab members develop and apply expertise on one or more approach to both individual and collaborative projects. We have specific quantitative biology opportunities available for students interested in studying genome-scale transcription in living cells using HT-sequencing methods like NET-seq or interested in studying behaviors of molecules like RNA polymerase using single-molecule approaches.