Michael J. Ragusa is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, Dartmouth College , specializing in molecular mechanisms of selective autophagy . His research integrates structural biology , biochemical reconstitution , and cell biology to understand how cells degrade toxic components like damaged organelles. Education: B.S. in Chemistry from Siena College, Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Brown University His work focuses on autophagy , particularly the role of Atg proteins in membrane tethering and cargo selection. His lab has published extensively on mitophagy , ALFY , and Atg11 , linking defects in these pathways to cancer , neurodegeneration , and infectious diseases . Recent studies highlight mechanisms of vesicle clustering and dimerization-dependent membrane interactions . Dr. Ragusa teaches courses such as CHEM 5: General Chemistry , CHEM 42: Biological Chemistry II , and CHEM 95.05: Protein Crystallography . His lab employs techniques like X-ray crystallography , NMR spectroscopy , and membrane reconstitution to dissect protein-lipid interactions.













