Vikram V. Shende

Vikram V. Shende serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Occidental College, teaching Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry while leading research on enzyme-mediated assembly of complex natural molecules.

Education:

• B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Michigan-Dearborn
• M.S. and Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Research Focus: His laboratory investigates enzymatic pathways for synthesizing complex molecules through interdisciplinary approaches combining synthetic chemistry, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and synthetic biology. Current work emphasizes discovering novel natural products from marine eukaryotes and characterizing diketopiperazine alkaloid tailoring enzymes, bridging biochemical mechanism studies with practical applications in molecular assembly.

Scientific Recognition:

• NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship

Dr. Shende mentors undergraduate researchers in his active laboratory, maintaining structured office hours (Monday 1-2 PM, Tuesday 9-10 AM, Wednesday 2-3 PM) in Norris Hall of Chemistry 313. His postdoctoral training at Scripps Institution of Oceanography under Professor Bradley Moore established expertise in marine biosynthetic pathways, which now informs his independent research program exploring Nature's molecular diversity through integrated experimental and computational methodologies.