Principal Investigator
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Prof. Bil Clemons (CV Jan 2026)
Arthur and Marian Hanisch Memorial Professor of Biochemistry Post Doc, Harvard Medical School (2001-2005) Advisors: Tom Rapoport & Stephen Harrison Ph.D. Biochemistry, University of Utah (2000) Advisor: Venki Ramakrishnan Visiting Student, MRC-LMB, Cambridge, UK (1999-2001) B.S. Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia (1995) x1796, clemons@ |
Bil Clemons is the Hanisch Memorial Professor of Biochemistry at Caltech and the Scientist in Residence at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). He received his PhD from the University of Utah, where he worked under Prof. Venki Ramakrishnan. During this time, Prof. Clemons spent two years as a visiting scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. A notable achievement during his graduate work was his contribution to the team that solved the first atomic resolution structure of the small ribosomal subunit, which facilitated a fundamental understanding of the translation of the genetic code and earned a Nobel Prize for his advisor. Following that, he became a Damon-Runyon Cancer Research post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, working under Profs. Tom Rapoport and Steve Harrison. During this period, he elucidated the structure of the ubiquitous protein translocation channel.
Prof. Clemons established his independent research group at Caltech in 20065 The Clemons lab focuses on characterizing critical biological systems using various techniques, including structural biology and biochemistry. The Clemons lab has made significant contributions to understanding membrane protein biogenesis, glycochemistry in lipid bilayers, and the development of novel antibacterial therapeutics. Prof. Clemons has received numerous accolades, including membership in the United States National Academy of Sciences (2022) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2024), a fellow of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2022), a Searle Scholar (2007), and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (2011). He is a renowned mentor noted for his extensive contributions to making science more equitable and has received one of Caltech’s two highest honors, The Shirley Malcom Prize for Mentoring (2024). In August 2023, he joined the Biohub as Scientist-in-Residence, where he oversees a variety of funding programs.
Bil’s favorite amino acid is proline.
▶ Watson Lecture (2024) “Combating future pandemics with viruses”
Prof. Clemons established his independent research group at Caltech in 20065 The Clemons lab focuses on characterizing critical biological systems using various techniques, including structural biology and biochemistry. The Clemons lab has made significant contributions to understanding membrane protein biogenesis, glycochemistry in lipid bilayers, and the development of novel antibacterial therapeutics. Prof. Clemons has received numerous accolades, including membership in the United States National Academy of Sciences (2022) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2024), a fellow of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2022), a Searle Scholar (2007), and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (2011). He is a renowned mentor noted for his extensive contributions to making science more equitable and has received one of Caltech’s two highest honors, The Shirley Malcom Prize for Mentoring (2024). In August 2023, he joined the Biohub as Scientist-in-Residence, where he oversees a variety of funding programs.
Bil’s favorite amino acid is proline.
▶ Watson Lecture (2024) “Combating future pandemics with viruses”
Staff
Tiffany Safar Research Technician Clemons/Rees Lab Manager x1729 tsafar@ Tiffany grew up in Burbank, California, and completed her undergraduate studies at Pasadena City College and UC San Diego. In her free time, she enjoys wandering museums, exercising, and cafe-hopping in LA. Her favorite amino acid is cysteine.
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Ann Mao Clemons/Rees Lab Administrative Assistant x6524 annjmao@ Ann grew up in our very own Pasadena, before receiving her undergraduate degree at UCLA. When not keeping the lab afloat, Ann enjoys looking at plants, watching television dramas, and translating from Korean/Chinese to English (she’s very good at picking up languages)! Her favorite amino acid is glutamine.
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Mila
Ambassador of Happiness available by appointment for pets and scratches |
Postdoctoral Scholars
Yan Zhang
Postdoctoral Scholar (2022-Present) Ph.D. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (2022) Advisor: Mark Styczynski B.S. Chemical Engineering, Cornell University (2017) x1729, yz473@ Originally from Queens, New York, Yan completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University and her doctoral degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Yan came to Caltech to use cell-free synthetic biology approaches to engineer bacteriophages with novel functions. In her free time, she enjoys running, baking, and cooking.
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Jacob Kirsh
Postdoctoral Scholar (2024-Present) Ph.D. Chemistry, Stanford University (2024) Advisor: Steven Boxer B.A. Chemistry and Math, Swarthmore College (2017) Advisor: Chris Graves x1729, jkirsh@ Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Jacob received his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College before completing his Ph.D. at Stanford University. Jacob joined the lab to investigate the catalytic mechanism of N-linked glycosylation enzymes. In his free time, Jacob likes to read novels, exercise, hike with his wife, and play their with pet rabbit. His favorite amino acid is arginine.
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Graduate Students
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Victor Garcia-Ruiz
Graduate Student (2019-Present) B.S. Biochemistry, UC Riverside (2019) Advisor: Dr. Gregor Blaha x1729, vgarciar@ |
Yancheng (Evelyn) Li
Graduate Student (2020-Present) B.S. Biochemistry, University of Toronto (2020) Advisor: Dr. Trevor F. Moraes and Dr. P. Lynne Howell x1729, yancheng@ |
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Victor graduated from UC Riverside with a degree in biochemistry. Victor focuses on understanding the diverse protein-protein interactions in the GET pathway. When Victor is not in the lab, you can find him at the gym. His favorite amino acid is glutamine because it is Q-ute.
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After growing up in Chengdu, Evelyn completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto. Using cryo-EM, Evelyn studies the inhibition mechanism of peptidoglycan biosynthesis. You can often find Evelyn scootering around campus. Her favorite amino acid is tyrosine.
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Isabel Hernandez-Rodriguez
Graduate Student (2021-Present) B.S. Chemistry, Barnard College (2021) Advisor: Latha Venkataraman x1729, ihernan2@ |
Juliet Lee
Graduate Student (2021-Present) B.A. Chemistry, Barnard College (2021) Advisor: Rachel Austin x1729, juliet@ |
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Isabel grew up in both Seattle and Mexico and completed her undergraduate studies at Barnard College. She is working on using cryo-EM to study peptidoglycan biosynthesis and the cyanobacterial GET pathway. Isabel likes to play with her cat Mr. Bean, knit, and play the clarinet! Her favorite amino acid is lysine.
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Originally from northern California, Juliet studied metalloproteins at Barnard College. Juliet studies the mechanism and conformational changes of tail-anchored protein targeting in the human GET pathway, with a focus on its potential inhibition. Outside of lab, she plays guitar in a band, eats a lot of Korean food, and wanders around LA. Juliet’s favorite amino acid is histidine.
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Beebee Yusrah Kaudeer
Graduate Student (2021-Present) B.A. Chemistry and Mathematics, Amherst College (2021) Advisor: Patricia O'Hara x1729, bkaudeer@ |
Conner Wells
Graduate Student (2021-Present) B.A. Chemistry, Pitzer College (2021) Advisor: Anna Wenzel x1729, cwwells@ |
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Yusrah grew up in Souillac, Mauritius and received her undergraduate degree from Amherst College, also studying engineering at Dartmouth. Yusrah’s goal is to develop a structural and mechanistic understanding of MraY, a key enzyme in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Outside of lab, she enjoys cooking new cuisines, hiking, seeing live music, and photography. Her favorite amino acid is aspartic acid.
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Originally from Santa Cruz, California, Conner studied chemistry at Pitzer College. Conner focuses on studying GET pathway components from photosynthetic organisms. In his free time, Conner enjoys cycling, indoor climbing, and photography. His favorite amino acid is cysteine.
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Grace Baron
Graduate Student (2023-Present) B.S. Chemistry, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst (2023) Advisor: Jeanne Hardy x1729, gbaron@ |
Roujon Nowzari
Graduate Student (2023-Present) B.S. Biophysical Chemistry, James Madison University (2023) Advisor: Nathan Wright x1729, rnowzari@ |
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Grace grew up in Ashby, Massachusetts. She completed her undergraduate degree at UMass Amherst. Grace works on uncovering targets for phage single gene lysis proteins and characterizing the essential flippase involved in PG biosynthesis. Outside of lab, she enjoys baking, crafting, and finding cool vintage stores and estate sales. Her favorite amino acid is leucine.
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Hailing from Leesburg, Virginia, Roujon studied biophysical chemistry at James Madison University. Their research focuses on the single gene lysis protein A2 from the phage QBeta. Outside of the lab, Roujon enjoys reading, dancing, painting, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Their favorite amino acid is cysteine.
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Angham Ahmed
Graduate Student (2023-Present) B.S. Biochemistry, California State University, Fresno (2017) Advisor: Krish Krishnan M.S. Biology, California State University, Fresno, (2022) Advisor: Cory L. Brooks x1729, amahmed@ |
Vida (Storm) Robertson
Graduate Student (2024-Present) B.S. Biological Sciences, East Texas A&M (2022) Advisor: Allan D. Headley M.S. Chemistry, Fisk University, Nashville (2024) Advisor: Steven Damo x1729, vroberts@ |
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Angham grew up in Yemen before moving to Reedley, California. She completed her undergraduate and masters studies at California State University in Fresno. Angham’s research focuses on generating and characterizing custom bacterial virus particles for biomedical applications. In her free time, Angham enjoys walking, playing soccer, and listening to classical Arab music. Her favorite amino acid is alanine.
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Originally from Sugar Land, Texas, Vida studied biology at East Texas A&M before completing his masters in chemistry and structural biology at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. His research now focuses on investigating Get3, its clients, and its enzymatic processes in detail. When not in lab, you can find Vida reading, writing, or at the gym lifting. His favorite amino acid is tryptophan.
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Undergraduates
Grace H. Otos
Undergraduate, 2025
Undergraduate, 2025
Volunteers |
Visiting Scholars |
► Lab Alumni
Phone numbers start with 626-395-
Email addresses are @caltech.edu
Email addresses are @caltech.edu