Frank Schroeder

Professor Frank Schroeder is a distinguished scientist at Cornell University and the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI), holding appointments in both the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology (BMCB) graduate fields. His research focuses on Chemical Biology and Cell Biology, particularly the structural and functional characterization of biogenic small molecules (BSMs) that regulate development, immunity, and inter-organism communication. He leads an interdisciplinary lab with active collaborations across Caltech, Weill Cornell, MIT, and Max Planck Institutes.

• Key Research Areas:
  • Metabolomics of Caenorhabditis elegans and other nematodes
  • Host-microbiota interactions in mammals
  • Development of NMR/MS-based analytical methodologies
  • Chemical ecology of fungi for antibiotic discovery
• Scientific Recognition:
  • HHMI Faculty Scholars Program (2016)
  • Daniel F. Klessig Distinguished Scientist title
• Teaching:
  • Advanced Analytical Chemistry (CHEM6250) at Cornell
  • Focus on NMR and mass spectrometry applications

The lab's NMR-driven approaches have uncovered novel BSMs like gluconucleosides, acylspermidines, and ascaroside derivatives, revealing unexpected biosynthetic pathways and conserved functions across species. Recent work includes host-microbe co-metabolism in immune regulation and a groundbreaking click-chemistry enrichment strategy (DIMEN) for metabolome analysis. His team has trained numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom now hold academic or industry positions.