Christopher J. Thibodeaux

Christopher J. Thibodeaux is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University's Faculty of Science. His research program focuses on understanding the structure-function relationships of enzymes involved in natural product biosynthesis, bacterial virulence, and human health. Dr. Thibodeaux employs a diverse experimental toolkit spanning biochemistry, analytical chemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics to investigate conformationally dynamic enzymes.

Dr. Thibodeaux received his B.S. from Louisiana State University (2002), Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (2010), and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2011-2016). His laboratory is located in P&P 312 at McGill University, with his office in Otto Maass 222.

His research interests center on correlating protein conformational dynamics with biochemical function, particularly in enzymes that produce antimicrobial compounds or contribute to bacterial pathogenesis. Dr. Thibodeaux's group has strong expertise in mass spectrometry-based techniques to probe protein structure and dynamics at multiple levels. The lab investigates biosynthesis of antimicrobial natural products, bacterial virulence mechanisms, and the role of protein conformational changes in enzyme function.

His publication record shows consistent research activity with numerous high-impact papers focusing on lanthipeptide biosynthesis enzymes, protein dynamics, and bacterial virulence factors. The research employs advanced analytical methods including hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, native mass spectrometry, and structural modeling to understand enzyme mechanisms across multiple biological contexts.

Dr. Thibodeaux teaches several advanced courses including CHEM 367 (Instrumental Analysis 1), CHEM 502 (Advanced Bio-Organic Chemistry), and CHEM 520 (Methods in Chemical Biology), providing students with expertise in modern biochemical and analytical techniques essential for contemporary chemical biology research.