Tyler Stack
Assistant Professor
Education:
Postdoctoral Research - Genomic Enzymology University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign
Brief Biography:
During my B.S. Chemistry at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, I primarily studied organic and polymer chemistry. I wanted to teach college chemistry and became interested in enzymes, which led me to The University of Texas at Austin for my Ph.D. in Biochemistry (advisor Chris Whitman). My research focused on the bacterial catabolism of halogenated aromatic compounds. I then worked on studying enzyme families as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign (advisor John Gerlt). There I became interested in discovering the chemistry of bacterial catabolic enzymes while mentoring undergraduates in biochemical research.
Area(s) of Expertise:
Biochemistry – Enzymology
Gene Annotation
Bacterial Metabolism
Teaching Philosophy:
I have gained a passion and interest in chemistry, biology, and its interplay, and the way I teach students is to illustrate where this passion comes from and what questions it causes me to ask next. I view my role as a scientist and a teacher to provide my students and the larger society a foundation and give them the tools and skills to teach them how to tackle a problem, whether in the biochemical laboratory, the clinic, or in public policy. This role guides my general pedagogy; I will teach students to think like scientists and not teach them rote learning and heuristic problem-solving.
