David W. Christianson

David W. Christianson is the Roy and Diana Vagelos Professor in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on structural and chemical biology of metalloenzymes, particularly histone deacetylases (HDACs) and terpene biosynthesis enzymes. He holds a B.A. from Harvard College (1983), A.M. and Ph.D. from Harvard University (1985, 1987).

• Education:
• A.B. in Chemistry, Harvard College (1983)
• A.M. in Chemistry, Harvard University (1985)
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Harvard University (1987)

Research interests include HDAC structure-function relationships, terpene cyclase catalysis, and enzyme architecture. Key findings include HDAC6's role in cancer therapy, HDAC10’s identification as a polyamine deacetylase, and cryo-EM studies of assembly-line terpene synthases.

• Articles Trends: Recent work emphasizes selective HDAC inhibitors (e.g., difluoromethyl-oxadiazoles for HDAC6), structural insights into terpene synthase dynamics, and engineering substrate channeling in bifunctional enzymes.

Awards: Over 20 honors, including the Searle Scholar Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, and Lindback Teaching Award. He also serves as a Visiting Professor at Harvard and holds fellowships at institutions like the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Advising & Grants: Advised numerous students (not listed explicitly). Active in NIH-funded projects on HDAC inhibitors and terpene biosynthesis. Lab fosters interdisciplinary approaches, combining crystallography, cryo-EM, and synthetic chemistry.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Christianson Lab at Penn Chemistry, focusing on metalloenzyme mechanisms and drug discovery. Collaborates with groups at NIH, industry partners, and international institutions like the University of Cambridge.