Karen received her B.S. degree in Biology, cum laude from Tufts University and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Brandeis University, where she was a Dretzin scholar. Her graduate studies in the laboratory of the mechanistic enzymologist, Dr. Robert H. Abeles, focused on the design, synthesis, and inhibition kinetics of transition-state analogues of esterases. Following her desire to see enzymes in action she pursued X-ray crystallography during postdoctoral studies as an American Cancer Society Fellow in the laboratory of Drs. Gregory A. Petsko and Dagmar Ringe. Since 1993, she has lead her own research team at Boston University, first in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the School of Medicine, and since 2008 in the Department of Chemistry where she is now a Professor. She lives in Weston, MA with her husband and an energetic dog. Dr. Allen's research has focused on the elucidation of enzyme mechanisms and the understanding of how Nature has evolved new chemistries from existing protein scaffolds. Within this context, her laboratory has plumbed the basis of enzyme-mediated phosphoryl and phosphoglycosyl transfer and decarboxylation reactions. She is Co Editor-in-Chief of Methods in Enzymology and Associate Editor of the Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry, counselor for the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, and advisor for the Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology of the American Chemical Society. She has been honored with the 2025 Gordan Hammes lectureship, the Abeles and Jencks Award for the Chemistry of Biological Processes and is an ASBMB fellow.
Jac Lorenzo
6th Year Pharmacology
Martin Dokholyan (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '26)
Hannah Braverman (GRS '24)- Staff Associate at Mass Spectrometry Facility of Columbia University
Dr. Jim Conley
Dr. Ashley Rebelo- MIT: Research Scientist
Vibhuti Amin (CAS Chemistry '24)
Dr. Anthony DeMaria (CAS Chemistry '23) - MIT: Postdoctoral Fellow
Tina Chen (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '23)
Dr. Samantha Muellers - Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Research Scientist
Benjamin Pollak (CAS Chemistry '22) - UC San Diego: PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics
Gwendolyn Pyeatt (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '21) - University of Cambridge: PhD program in Biochemistry
Jack Jordanides (ENG Biomedical Engineering '21) - The Wyss Institute: Research Assistant
Dr. Jozlyn Clasman - Agios Pharmaceuticals: Structural Biologist
Dr. Katherine O'Toole - New England Biolabs: Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Margarita Tararina - Bristol Meyers Squibb: Senior Scientist
Manaswni Dhingra (CAS Chemistry '20) - Ronawk: Project& Sales Operations Manager
Sonika Vatsa (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '19) - Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center: Research Technician
Katie Dam (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '18) -Boston University School of Medicine: MD Candidate
Grace Ferri (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '18) - Boston University School of Medicine: MD Candidate
Dr. Christine Harvey - Sanofi: Business Analyst
Merissa Brousseau (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '18) - University of Wisconsin - Madison: PhD candidate
Dr. Leah Ray - Pfizer: Manager, Medical Writing
Kelly Huynh (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '15) - Duke University: PhD candidate
Dr. Steve Cohen (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '15) - Merck: Senior Scientist
Olivia Hallett-Ebeling (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '14)
Dr. Justin Marinko (CAS Chemistry: Biochemistry '14) - Stanford University: Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Jeremiah Farelli - Omega Therapeutics: Associate Director
Dr. Chetanya Pandya - Genmab: Director, Translational & Quantitative Sciences Data Engineering
Eddie Willis (Roxbury Community College Intern 2013) - Advanced Instruments, Inc: Nurse
Lisa Kellndorfer (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '13) - Austin Street Brewery: Production Manger
Miyuki Aono (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '13) - Takeda: Product Manager / Oncology
Megan Garland (CAS Chemistry: Biochemistry and Neuroscience '12) - Stanford University: MD/PhD program
Juan Ramirez (SURF student 2011) - Accenture: Technology Analyst
Dr. Robert MacDonald (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '11) - Cell Signaling Technology: Scientist
Dr. Nikhil Shah (CAS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology '11) - University of Florida: General Cardiology Fellow
Dr. John Facendola (CAS Chemistry '11) - Intel Corporation: Process Development Engineer
Dr. Kelly D.D. Broccio - Oerth Bio: Senior Director, Biology
Ashish Sarraju (CAS Chemistry: Biochemistry '09) - Northwestern University: Feinberg School of Medicine
Dr. Nicholas Silvaggi - University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee: Associate Professor
Dr. Ezra Peisach - Research Associate, Protein Data Bank, Rutgers University
Dr. Meng-Chiao Ho - Academia Sinica, Taiwan: Associate Professor
Dr. Sushmita Lahiri - Boehringer Ingelheim: Director of External Innovation, Research Beyond Borders
Dr. Kay Choi - Indiana University: Professor
Dr. Cornelia Bellamacina - Crystallographic Consulting, LLC: Contract Scientist
Dr. Marc Morais - Indiana University: Professor
Rebecca Koweek
3rd Year Chemistry
Dr. Neno Vuksanovic
Ph.D. in Chemistry '20 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Kristin Hughes
5th Year Chemistry
Dr. Hayley Knox
Ph.D. in Chemistry '21 Pennsylvania State University
Takumi Hawes
4th Year Chemistry
Roxanne Siuda
4th Year Pharmacology
Kat Nguyen
2nd Year Chemistry
Amanda Newell
2nd Year Pharmacology
Naisha Deorah
CAS Biology '27
Patryk Kalinowski
1st Year Chemistry
Katrina McCarthy
CAS Cell Biology, Molecular Biology & Genetics '26
Maddie Bodor
CAS Biochemistry and Molecular Biology '27
