Sadie Piatt

Dissertation Title:  Disordered proteins regulate stress- & damage-dependent DNA binding PhD Dissertation Advisor(s):  Dr. Joseph Loparo, Dept. of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Haribabu Arthanari, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Sadie was first introduced to the world of macromolecules during her undergraduate career at Emmanuel College, where she worked with Dr. Allen Price on single-molecule methods to study the behavior of DNA-binding proteins. While dissecting their target-site search mechanisms, she became fascinated by the fact that the dynamics of such structurally diverse interactions can actually be governed by universal principles. She was particularly intrigued by the robust regulation of biochemical processes both through and in spite of deviations from standard DNA topology. As a result, she stuck around Boston with the Loparo, then the Arthanari labs to continue investigating these themes in a DNA damage-dependent context.