معرفی
Aaron Leconte is a Professor of Chemistry at the Keck Science Department of Claremont Colleges, serving Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges. He was promoted to full Professor in June 2025 after serving as Associate Professor (2018-2025) and Assistant Professor (2012-2018). His research group focuses on protein engineering to create useful tools for medicine and biotechnology, with particular expertise in luciferase and DNA polymerase engineering.
Dr. Leconte's research interests center on biochemical analysis and engineering of proteins, particularly in developing novel enzyme activities through directed evolution and high-throughput biochemical approaches. His work spans protein engineering, synthetic biology, and molecular evolution, with applications in biotechnology and medical diagnostics. The Leconte Group employs a combination of bioinformatics, biochemical analysis, and directed evolution to create improved bioluminescent tools and polymerases capable of handling modified nucleotides.
His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on firefly luciferase engineering and DNA polymerase development, with multiple high-impact papers in Biochemistry and other journals. The group's work on red-shifting mutations in luciferase and developing polymerases for XNA synthesis represents significant contributions to the field.
- 2024 Cottrell SEED Award
- 2023 Cottrell Postbaccalaureate Fellowship
- 2019 R15 Award (NIH)
- 2018 CAREER Award (NSF)
- 2016 Cottrell Scholar Award
- 2014 Cottrell College Science Award
Dr. Leconte has mentored numerous undergraduate researchers, many of whom have gone on to prestigious graduate programs and research positions. His lab has received substantial funding from NIH, NSF, and the Research Corporation, supporting both research and educational initiatives. The Leconte Group is known for its inclusive hiring practices and commitment to undergraduate research training, with a structured approach to onboarding new students through open houses and formal application processes.
The lab maintains strong collaborations with other research groups, particularly the Prescher Group at UC-Irvine, and has produced numerous publications with undergraduate co-authors. Current projects include characterizing and engineering firefly luciferase and developing fusion domains to improve XNA polymerases.
