Janet Smith

Janet Smith is a Research Professor at the Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, specializing in structural biology and biochemical mechanisms. She has made seminal contributions to understanding protein structures in natural product biosynthesis, plant peptide macrocyclization, and viral RNA degradation pathways.

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Postdoctoral work with Wayne Hendrickson at Naval Research Laboratory
• Former Purdue Professor of Biological Sciences
• Visiting Scientist at European Molecular Biology Laboratory

Her research focuses on:

• Structural analysis of enzymes in polyketide and ribosomal peptide biosynthesis
• Development of synchrotron-based methods for protein crystallography
• Mechanistic understanding of zinc-finger antiviral protein complexes
• Evolutionary control of enzymatic stereoselectivity

Recent publications highlight her work on:

• New plant protein folds enabling cyclic peptide biosynthesis (2024 Nature Chemical Biology)
• Structural basis for macrolactone formation in antibiotics (2024 ACS Catalysis)
• High-resolution bacterial carbonic anhydrase structure (2025 Acta Crystallographica)

Scientific recognition includes:

• National Research Council Research Fellowship (postdoctoral)
• Collaborative leadership in structural biology facilities at GM/CA@APS beamlines

She contributes to international education through lectures on structural biology and synchrotron radiation. Her collaborative work with the Ohi Lab on KHNYN-ZAP complexes reveals novel viral RNA degradation mechanisms (2024 PNAS).