Rosemary Stuart

Dr. Rosemary Stuart is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Marquette University. Specializing in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complex regulation using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as a model organism, she serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies and leads the MU4Gold Scholars program.

Educational Background:

• B.Sc. (1984) and M.Sc. (1985), University College Dublin
• Dr. rer. nat. (1989) and Dr. rer. biol. hum. Habil. (1998), Ludwig-Maximillians Universität München
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Imperial Cancer Research Fund London

Research Focus: Dr. Stuart's work investigates molecular mechanisms regulating mitochondrial ribosome activity and OXPHOS complex assembly. Her NSF-funded project analyzes mitoribosomal central protuberance proteins (MrpL35, Mrp7, MrpL28) and their role in cytochrome c oxidase (COX) assembly coordination. The NIH R15 AREA project examines MRPL44 mutations linked to human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using yeast disease models to study membrane protuberance region functions in mitoribosome anchoring.

Publications Trends: Over 35 years, her research spans mitochondrial protein import pathways, mitoribosome structure/function, respiratory supercomplex organization, and bioenergetic regulation. Key themes include protein-membrane interactions, translocation mechanisms, and OXPHOS disease models.

Honors:

• Nora Finnigan Werra Faculty Achievement Award (2011)
• Lawrence G. Haggerty Award for Research Excellence (2011)
• Robert and Mary Gettel Award for Teaching (2008)

Mentorship: Dr. Stuart has mentored 8 Ph.D. students and actively accepts undergraduate researchers. Her lab's work contributes to understanding mitochondrial dysfunction in human diseases through yeast genetics.