Benjamin Stein

Benjamin Stein is an Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Biochemistry Program in the Department of Biology at the College of the Holy Cross. He holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied adaptor-mediated regulation of proteolysis, followed by postdoctoral research on two-component signaling systems at the University of Chicago.

His research focuses on understanding signal transduction in bacteria using Caulobacter crescentus as a model organism. Primary methodologies include biochemistry, molecular biology, and microbial genetics. Current projects investigate:

• FixLJ-FixT oxygen-sensing system: Examining structural elements of FixT inhibition and Fe-S cofactor stability
• ChvGI-NtrYXZ regulatory networks: Characterizing NtrY-NtrZ interactions and phosphorylation dynamics

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on bacterial signaling mechanisms, protein degradation pathways, and stress response systems across microbiology and biochemistry. Recent works emphasize two-component system regulation and structural analysis of protein interactions.

Dr. Stein mentors undergraduate researchers including:

• Jael Cruz
• Chloe Carbonneau
• Jack Petrus
• Ronan Lanam
• Emma Bain
• Zayda Dominick
• Autumn Wilson
• Mitchell Lutey

He leads the Stein Laboratory at Holy Cross, equipped for biochemical and genetic research on bacterial systems.