Jennifer Heemstra

Dr. Jennifer Heemstra is Professor and Chair of Chemistry at Washington University, holding the Charles Allen Thomas endowed chair. Her research harnesses nucleic acid molecular recognition for biosensing and bioimaging applications. She directs investigations into aptamer-based detection systems, RNA editing tools, and unnatural nucleic acids like peptide nucleic acid (PNA) and threose nucleic acid (TNA).

Her lab develops split-aptamer platforms for small-molecule detection and enantiopurity measurement, alongside methods for tracking RNA modifications in living cells. Recent breakthroughs include EndoVIA for spatial mapping of RNA edits and glyoxal-caged prodrugs.

Heemstra advocates for inclusive science, co-authoring frameworks for diverse laboratory cultures. She received the 2024 AAAS Fellowship and 2021 ACS Rising Star Award. Current PhD students include Alex Quillin (RNA editing) and Benoit Arnould (single-molecule microscopy).