Members

Jonathan D. Caranto, PhD
PI of NOx Nation

  • 2022 UCF Champion of Undergraduate Research Faculty Award
  • 2018-present Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida
  • 2013-2017 Postdoctoral research associate, Cornell University (Prof. Kyle M. Lancaster)
  • 2013 Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Texas at San Antonio (Prof. Donald M. Kurtz)
  • 2003 B.S. Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology
  • 2003 B.S. Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics, Illinois Institute of Technology

Post-doctoral scholars and Staff Scientists

Arun Kumar, PhD

Trapping nitration intermediates of TxtE

2020-2022 Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Göttingen

2018-2020 Research Associate
Indian Institute of Science

2018 Ph.D Medicinal Chemistry
Indian Institute of Science

2013 M.S. Chemical Sciences
Homi Bhabha National Institute

Ben Rathman, PhD

Chemical and biosynthesis of nitramines: applications in medicinal chemistry

2023 Ph.D Chemistry
University of Notre Dame

2015 B.S. Organic Chemistry
University of North Florida

Graduate scholars

Member pic

Gabriel Padilla

Biosynthesis of N-nitroglycine by Streptomyces noursei

2017 B.S. Biomedical Sciences
University of Central Florida

Member pic

Kara Strickland

Molecular mechanism of N-nitroglycine decomposition by NnlA

2019 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

Sarah Jennings

Mechanism of NO peroxidase activity by mycobacterial hemerythrin-like proteins

2017 B.S. Biology
Presbyterian College

Krystal Baez

Outer sphere tuning of TxtE reactivity

2015 B.S. Biomedical Sciences
University of Central Florida

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Brenda Martinez Rodriguez

NNG biosynthesis

2023 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida


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Riley Bulnes

Nitration pathways of natural products

2025 B.S. Chemistry
University of South Florida

Undergraduate scholars

Shelby Wagner
UCF Chemistry ’22

Expression of NnlA variants

Gabriel Oliveira
UCF Chemistry ’26

Engineering of NnlA gas binding site

Gabriel Santiago Rodriguez
UCF Chemistry ’26

Nitrate formation by TxtE

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Hannah Klautky
UCF Biotechnology ’25

Identification of NnlA active site residues

  • AEOP Summer Apprentice

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Donovan Dietrick
UCF Chemistry ’25

High-throughput assay of NnlA variant library

  • AEOP Summer Apprentice
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Andrew Casanova
UCF Chemistry ’25

Inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ICL1

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Ellie Flinn
UCF Chemistry ’27

Reactive nitrogen species reactions with a Mycobacterial enzyme

NOx Nation Alumni

2018-2024 Christopher Martin, Ph.D
Los Alamos National Laboratory

2024 Ph.D. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

2018 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Molecular mechanism of the NO-dependent nitration catalyzed by TxtE

2023 Michael Fabrizio
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ph.D program at University of Florida

2023 B.S. Biomedical Sciences
University of Central Florida

  • Inhibition of mycobacterial metabolic enzymes

2022-2023 Michelle Luna-Alva
Eurofins USA

2023 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Activity of NnlA homologs
  • AEOP Summer Apprentice
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Brenda Martinez Rodriguez
Chemistry PhD program at UCF

2023 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Activity of NnlA homologs
  • AEOP Summer Apprentice

2020-2023 Ashley Holland, PhD
Zoetis Inc.

Post-doctoral associate

  • NnlA degradation of NNG

2021-2022 Betsy Hinojosa
Edgewell Personal Care

2022 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Inhibition of metabolic enzymes by nitramines

2018-2022 Regina Strelecki

M.S. Biomedical Sciences
Stony Brook University

  • Peroxide shunt with TxtE

2019-2022 Dominique Sims
MMPP Ph.D program at Yale University

2022 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Development of high throughput screen of NnlA variants

2019-2022 Lannika Johnson
Florida Institute of Dermatology

2022 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

Higor Silverio

2021 Higor Silverio
Florida Dept. of Health

2021 B.S. Biology
University of Central Florida

  • Expression of NnlA variants

2018-2022 Rahiim Lake
Biochemistry Ph.D program at University of Rochester

2021 B.S Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Expression and purification of the N-oxygenase CreE
  • NNG biosynthesis and biodegradation

2018-2021 Alan Trudeau
Revvity

2021 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Structural elucidation of AznDE and NnlA
  • McNair Scholar

2019 Casey Dejournett
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory

2020 B.S Forensic Science
University of Central Florida

2019 Miranda Cassidy
Orlando Police Department

2023 B.S. Forensic Science

Expression of TxtE

2019-2020 Charles St. James
Made Scientific

2020 M.S. Biomedical Sciences
University of Central Florida
2017 B.S. Biology
University of Central Florida

  • Generation of Streptomyces gene knockouts to elucidate N-nitroglycine biosynthesis
  • M.S. Capstone: Streamlining production and enhancing therapeutic effectivity of CAR-T cell cancer immunotherapies with CRISPR/CAS gene editing

2018-2020 Maria Martinez, Ph.D
Linde Engineering

2024 Ph.D Chemistry Louisiana State University

2020 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Mechanism of NO-dependent nitration by a cytochrome P450 homolog
  • RAMP Fellow
  • ACS Scholar

2019-2020 Jordan Ledgister
Memorial Regional Hospital

2020 B.S. Biomedical Sciences
University of Central Florida

  • Improving metal-occupancy of the N-nitroglycine degrading enzyme NnlA

2019-2020 Nicole Boyd
Tesla

2020 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Recombinant Expression of a Proposed Hydrazinoacetic Acid Biosynthetic Pathway from Streptomyces noursei

2018-2019 Julissa Burgos
Microbiology Ph.D program at Vanderbilt University

2019 B.S. Biomedical Sciences
University of Central Florida

  • Purification and characterization of heme excreted by Streptomyces noursei
  • McNair Scholar

2018-2019 Dylan Thibaut
UCF-HCA IM Residency Program

2020 B.S. Biomedical Sciences
University of Central Florida
2020 B.S. Science Education
University of Central Florida

  • Application and Comparison of Active Learning Implementation Methods in Biochemistry Education
  • Honors in the Major Scholar (See thesis)
Member pic Kara Strickland

2018-2019 Kara Strickland
Chemistry Ph.D Program at UCF

2019 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • The N-nitroglycine degrading protein, NnlA, is a heme enzyme

2018-2019 Ali Younis
Chemistry Ph.D program at University of California at Irvine

2019 B.S. Chemistry
University of Central Florida

  • Characterization of Enzymes AznD and AznE for the development of a bionitration toolkit
  • McNair Scholar

2018 Mueez Amoo
Bausch & Lomb

2018 B.S. Biomedical Sciences
University of Central Florida
2018 B.A. History
University of Central Florida

  • Culturing of Streptomyces vitaminophilus