Elizabeth Marie Nolan

Elizabeth Marie Nolan is the Ivan R. Cottrell Professor of Immunology in the Department of Chemistry at MIT, where she leads the Nolan Lab focused on bioinorganic chemistry and microbial pathogenesis. Her research explores the interplay between host defense molecules, metal ions, and bacterial pathogens. She holds tenure and has been recognized with prestigious awards including the NIH New Innovator Award, NSF CAREER Award, and PECASE.

• PhD from MIT (Lippard Lab)
• Postdoc at Harvard Medical School (Walsh Lab)
• Joined MIT in 2009, promoted to Full Professor in 2019

Her work integrates inorganic chemistry, microbiology, and biological chemistry to combat infectious diseases. Key focuses include metal ion sequestration by calprotectin, siderophore-based antibiotic delivery, and mechanisms of microbial resistance. Recent studies highlight calprotectin's role in modulating bacterial iron starvation and novel strategies for antimicrobial conjugates.

Awards:

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2017)
• Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry (2016)
• MIT School of Science Teaching Prize (2016)

Lab activities include over 20 published articles since 2021, collaborations with UCSD, Harvard, and KAIST, and mentorship of 15+ students/postdocs. Her lab also develops innovative methods for metal ion detection and antibiotic design.