Clarissa Melo Czekster

Clarissa Melo Czekster is an Associate Professor (Reader) at the School of Biology, University of St Andrews. Her research focuses on enzymology, biocatalysis, and microbial biochemistry, particularly targeting antibiotic discovery and biofilm inhibition. She holds a PhD in mechanisms of enzymes from Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2012), and postdoctoral training at Yale University (2012–2014).

• Expertise: Enzyme catalysis, structural biology, nucleoside analogues
• Awards: iGEM Gold Medal (2019), Royal Society Research Fund (2017)

Research interests include:

• Enzymatic mechanisms of biofilm-associated peptidases
• Biocatalytic production of nucleoside analogues
• Public engagement via projects like 'Antibiotics Under Our Feet'

Grants and collaborations:

• BBSRC-funded project (2024–2027) on bacterial peptidases
• Edinburgh Napier University collaboration on nucleoside biocatalysis

Labs/Teams: Involved with the Biomedical Sciences Research Complex and interdisciplinary projects in antimicrobial research.