Kelly Sheppard

Kelly Sheppard is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Skidmore College and an affiliated faculty member of the RNA Institute at SUNY-Albany. She has been at Skidmore since 2010.

Education:

• A.B. in Biochemistry, Occidental College (1999)
• Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale University (2007)
• Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University (2007–2010)

Her research focuses on understanding the biochemical pathways organisms use to translate the genetic code, particularly for asparagine (Asn) and glutamine (Gln) via tRNA-dependent amidotransferases like GatCAB and GatDE. This work intersects biochemistry, molecular genetics, and molecular evolution, with applications in antibiotic development and synthetic biology to expand the genetic code for disease studies.

Recent publications highlight her research on dual biosynthetic pathways in bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus anthracis, and Staphylococcus aureus, exploring how these organisms maintain fidelity in protein synthesis under stress. Her group also investigates structure-function relationships in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and their role in genetic code evolution.

Grants:

• National Science Foundation
• Research Corporation

Sheppard’s lab provides students with hands-on training in molecular cloning, protein purification, enzyme kinetics, and more. Her lab has moved to the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences, continuing collaborations with the RNA Institute.