Nicholas Silvaggi

Nicholas Silvaggi is a Professor and Assistant Chair in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), within the College of Letters & Science. His research focuses on enzyme structure-function relationships, particularly in nonribosomal peptide biosynthesis and neutron crystallography. He leads the Silvaggi Group, which employs techniques like X-ray crystallography, enzyme kinetics, and biophysical methods to study enzymatic mechanisms.

Education: PhD in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut. Research interests include understanding enzyme catalysis in antibiotic production (e.g., enduracidin) and exploring the functional diversity of the acetoacetate decarboxylase-like superfamily (ADCSF). He has pioneered neutron diffraction studies to analyze hydrogen atom positions in enzyme active sites.

Notable projects include elucidating the biosynthetic pathway of L-enduracididine and the structural basis of ADCSF enzymes. He directs the PX Lab Experience, an NSF-funded initiative training high school students in structural biology. Collaborations include work on SARS-CoV-2 domain inhibitors and botulinum neurotoxin inhibitors.

Grants: Received NSF support for the PX Lab program. Publications span structural biology, enzymology, and drug discovery. His work bridges basic science with applications in medicine and biotechnology.