Nadja Cech

Nadja B. Cech is the Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNC Greensboro), leading the Cech Research Group. Her work focuses on mass spectrometry and natural products research, particularly in discovering new treatments for infectious diseases through plant and fungal compounds. She holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of New Mexico and a B.S. from Southern Oregon University. Her research integrates metabolomics, microbial interactions, and drug discovery, supported by NIH grants.

• Affiliations: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UNC Greensboro.
• Research Interests: Antibiotic resistance, bacterial communication, drug-natural product interactions, and synergistic botanical medicine effects.

Dr. Cech has pioneered methods like synergy-directed fractionation and metabolomics-based chemometrics to identify bioactive constituents. Her lab studies skin microbiome dynamics, anti-inflammatory Echinacea activity, and fungal libraries for new antibiotics. Collaborations include projects with Dr. Nicholas Oberlies and Dr. Stanley Faeth.

Her team includes over 14 researchers (undergraduates to postdocs) and has produced 80+ peer-reviewed articles. Awards include the Jack L. Beal Award (2011) and teaching/research excellence recognitions from UNC Greensboro.

• Key Projects:
  • Developing tools for natural product drug discovery (e.g., LEAFBot library).
  • Exploring endophyte influences on botanical medicine efficacy.
  • Studying goldenseal-metformin interactions and kratom drug interactions.

Her lab emphasizes diversity and inclusion, fostering an environment where creativity thrives. Recent work includes identifying hominlysin (a daptide antibiotic) and investigating SARS-CoV-2 inhibition via plant compounds.