Carbohydrates, enzymes and natural products

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The Jakeman NSERC Discovery research grant program will make fundamental scientific discoveries in biological chemistry. These discoveries will have a significant impact on understanding the mechanisms of enzymes, Nature's predominant catalysts. It focuses upon enzymes that catalyze reactions of ubiquitous importance within the natural sciences. It will provide insight into new ways to inhibit specific enzyme classes or to generate greater substrate specificity. Some of these enzymes are responsible for the production of secondary metabolites, small molecules that have unprecedented capacity to interact with the natural world. Our studies on the enzymes include paradigm shifting methods to rationally alter the structures, and hence confer different physicochemical properties, of natural products. The program of research will provide an excellent training environment for undergraduate, graduate (MSc and PhD) and PDF trainees. Trainees will develop skills in multiple areas including: carbohydrate synthesis, enzymology, and natural products isolation and structure elucidation. Trainees will be part of a respectful learning environment where daily guidance, discussion and problem-solving are of paramount importance. They will be provided with timely encouragement and feedback on written and oral research results to ensure that they achieve their maximum potential. Collaboration between trainees at different levels of training will strengthen communication skills and improve problem-solving. Trainees will learn research skills relevant to the real-world to provide them with optimum opportunities upon completion of training. Trainees will continue to participate in workshops emphasising the charter of rights with topics including equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), GBA+, gender bias, and unconscious bias to maximize the training environment and better prepare them for the workplace. Over the past NSERC funding period, the Jakeman laboratory has trained 9 undergraduates, 4 MSc, 3 PhD students and 6 PDFs, including three undergraduate visiting students from Europe. Trainees are productive in the Jakeman group: 34 manuscripts have been authored by them. The positions they secure upon departure are also excellent. Two former PhD trainees are currently PDFs. One is at the University of Michigan, and another at UBC transitioning to a research scientist position with Codexis, San Francisco. There she will apply Chemistry Nobel Laureate Francis Arnold's directed evolution to engineer protein biocatalysts. Two former MSc students are pursuing PhD research at Ottawa and McGill. Executives in Canadian industry are also impressed by trainees from the Jakeman lab with the most recent PDF being recruited by Intellisyn (Montreal).