Damon Huber

Dr. Damon Huber is an Assistant Professor in Biochemistry at the School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham. He holds a joint appointment between the School of Biosciences and the Institute of Microbiology and Infection. His research focuses on understanding protein transport mechanisms in bacteria, particularly via the Sec machinery, and the interplay between protein folding and transport. Huber is a Birmingham Fellow and previously served as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Heidelberg.

Education: BSc in Microbiology from Iowa State University (2000), PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University (2006). Postdoctoral research included work with Jon Beckwith at Harvard Medical School and Bernd Bukau in Germany. He joined the University of Birmingham in 2013.

Research Interests: The Sec pathway's role in protein translocation across bacterial membranes, cotranslational targeting, and the impact of transport mechanisms on protein folding. His lab combines biochemistry and bacterial genetics to study these processes in Escherichia coli.

Key Contributions: Discoveries include SecA's ribosome interactions and its role in cotranslational channeling of proteins into the Sec pathway. His work has advanced understanding of protein quality control and translocation dynamics.

Awards: Birmingham Fellowship (2012), Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (postdoc period).

Lab and Collaborations: His lab is part of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to bacterial protein transport. Studentships are available for UK and international applicants.