Amy Springer

Amy Springer serves as Senior Lecturer and Chief Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she integrates research on Trypanosoma brucei biochemistry with innovative course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Her work bridges molecular parasitology and science education, focusing on malate dehydrogenase function and scalable research pedagogy.

Education:

• PhD in Molecular Biology from Princeton University
• Postdoctoral training at California Institute of Technology
• Postdoctoral training at University of Washington

Dr. Springer's research investigates malate dehydrogenase (MDH) isoforms in Trypanosoma brucei to understand their roles in the citric acid cycle, redox balance, and potential metabolic channeling. Concurrently, she pioneers CURE development for large-enrollment courses, creating the Malate Dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC) to enhance undergraduate research access. Her dual expertise drives novel therapeutic insights for African sleeping sickness while transforming biochemistry education through evidence-based pedagogy and national faculty collaboration.

Publication Trends: Analysis of her recent work reveals two interconnected trajectories: biochemical studies characterizing MDH structure-function relationships across pathogens, and educational research scaling authentic research to diverse classrooms. This synergy produces high-impact scholarship in enzyme kinetics, metabolic pathways, and pedagogical innovation, with growing emphasis on multi-institutional student collaboration and assessment.

Scientific Awards: No awards were documented in available sources.

Advising and Grants: As Chief Undergraduate Advisor, she mentors biochemistry majors and leads Biochem 426, where 100+ students annually conduct original MDH research. She directs the NSF-funded MCC RCN-UBE grant supporting 30+ faculty nationwide, establishing a sustainable ecosystem for course development, faculty training, and cross-institutional student projects that generate co-authored publications.

Labs and Teams: Her research operates within UMass Amherst's Lederle Graduate Research Tower, collaborating with an international consortium studying MDH across organisms. The MCC network connects R1 university faculty to share protocols, data, and teaching strategies, creating a unified research community that transcends institutional boundaries through shared digital platforms and annual symposia.