Matthew K. Thompson

Matthew K. Thompson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Alabama, focusing on mechanistic enzymology and protein structural/biophysical chemistry. His research bridges chemistry and biology through investigations of antibiotic resistance and electron transfer mechanisms in DNA processing enzymes.

• Education: BS from Eastern Kentucky University (2004), PhD from North Carolina State University (2011), Postdoctoral Fellow at Vanderbilt University (2011-2017)

Research interests emphasize two primary areas:

• Developing strategies to combat fosfomycin resistance via structural analysis of VOC superfamily enzymes in Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens, including MRSA and Mycobacteria
• Investigating electron transfer pathways in [4Fe4S] cluster-containing DNA primase and polymerases, revealing tyrosine-mediated radical tunneling mechanisms

Methodologies include biochemical assays, EPR and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray/neutron crystallography, and rapid kinetics. Key publications demonstrate his expertise in antibiotic resistance mechanisms and redox signaling in DNA replication enzymes.