romilam

Curriculum Vitae
Full Name
Romila Mascarenhas Prabhu
First Name
Romila
Last Name
Mascarenhas
Pronouns
She/her
Affiliation
Faculty
Title
Assistant Professor
Office
316 Streisinger Hall
Departments
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Interests
Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Vitamin B12
Profile Section
Education

B.Sc.  Mount Carmel College, Bangalore University, 2009

M.Sc.  St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore University, 2011

Ph.D.  Loyola University Chicago, Advisor: Dali Liu, 2012-2017

Post Doc. University of Michigan, Advisor: Ruma Banerjee, 2017-2023

 

 

Research

Our research focuses on understanding the role of cofactors, such as vitamin B12, in shaping the composition of the gut microbiome. Vitamin B12 is an essential cofactor for many gut bacteria, yet a significant proportion of these bacteria are unable to synthesize it. Instead, they rely entirely on transport from their environment to meet their needs. We will concentrate our efforts on understanding how gut bacteria acquire and utilize vitamin B12. Specifically, we will elucidate the mechanisms by which these bacteria transport and selectively use vitamin B12. To achieve this, our laboratory will use a variety of techniques, including spectroscopy (UV-visible, fluorescence, EPR), membrane protein biochemistry, and structural methods (X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM), to gain mechanistic and structural insights into cobamide selectivity and trafficking in gut bacteria.

Updated

Member for

6 months 3 weeks