Kate L. White

Kate L. White is the Gabilan Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Southern California. She leads the Kate White Lab, focusing on chemical biology and multi-scale structural biology to understand cellular secretion mechanisms. Her research integrates imaging, biophysical approaches, and computational modeling to study pancreatic β-cells and neurons as models for peptide hormone secretion.

Education:

• Ph.D., Pharmacology, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (2014)
• B.S., Integrative Biology, University of Illinois – Champaign/Urbana (2008)

Research Interests: The lab explores how cells coordinate the production, trafficking, and secretion of peptide hormones, with applications to metabolic and mental health disorders like diabetes and depression. Key areas include:

• Multi-scale structural biology (atomic to cellular scales)
• Secretory vesicle maturation signaling pathways
• Inter-organelle communication in secretory systems
• Cellular and organelle subtype roles in secretion

Recruitment: The lab actively seeks researchers at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral) and develops community-based tools for cellular modeling. Contact via email or the lab website.