Monica E. McCallum

Dr. Monica E. McCallum is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding the biochemical origins of natural products and their roles in microbial communication. She leads the McCallum Lab, which employs interdisciplinary approaches combining organic synthesis, biochemistry, microbiology, and microscopy to study microbial natural products in their native contexts.

Education:

• 2016 – Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University under Prof. Emily P. Balskus
• 2016 – PhD in Organic Chemistry from Baylor University
• 2013 – PhD Candidate at Colorado State University
• 2011 – B.S. in Chemistry from University of California, Irvine

Research Interests: Dr. McCallum’s work bridges organic synthesis and microbiology to decode microbial metabolite functions. Key themes include:

• Synthesizing complex natural products and their biosynthetic precursors
• Discovering novel enzyme-catalyzed reactions
• Unraveling microbial communication mechanisms via natural products
• Investigating environmental microbial community dynamics

Lab & Collaborations: The McCallum Lab emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating techniques from organic chemistry, molecular biology, and microscopy to study natural products in situ. Current projects focus on diazeniumdiolate biosynthesis pathways and enzymatic detoxification of marine toxins.