People

Zachary Berndsen (PI)

Dr. Zachary Berndsen earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, in the lab of Douglas Smith, where he studied the physics of viral genome packaging in bacteriophage. Following his doctoral studies, he pursued postdoctoral research at The Scripps Research Institute in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew Ward. During this time, Dr. Berndsen focused on utilizing single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to study the structure and function of viral fusion proteins, specifically within the context of structure-guided vaccine design. His pioneering work on the glycan shield that coats the surface of these viral proteins, along with significant contributions to understanding the mechanism of neutralization of several important classes of broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting HIV Envelope, earned him recognition by the vaccine design community with the CHAVD 2020 Young Investigator Award.

In the spring of 2022, Dr. Berndsen joined the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Missouri Columbia as an Assistant Professor. At Mizzou, he continues to expand the capabilities of cryo-EM for studying highly dynamic glycoproteins in the context of viral and bacterial vaccine design while building on his expertise to tackle important questions in the field of lipoprotein structure and function as it relates to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.