Palzkill Lab Members

Dr. Timothy Palzkill received his bachelor of science in biology from Creighton University and a Ph.D. in genetics from University of Iowa. He did his post-doctoral training at Stanford University before joining Baylor College of Medicine Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology in 1991. He has been the chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology since 2007.

His main research interest is understanding the molecular basis of beta-lactamase-mediated antibiotic resistance, developing Norovirus diagnostic tools and therapeutics, and studying molecular recognition in protein-protein interaction.

Wanzhi Huang worked at Palzkill Lab from the very beginning and helped Dr. Timothy Palzkill build the lab. She has helped all of the trainees and other scientists who have gone through the lab. After 27 years of service, she officially retired during September of 2020 but will always be a part of our lab.

She loves plants and swimming.

Dr. Moh. Sattar earned his Chemistry Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, India, in 2018. Before joining Palzkill Lab, he collaborated with Professor Song at Baylor College of Medicine as a postdoctoral researcher, specializing in the synthesis of small molecules for Zika virus and PROTAC molecules targeting Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL1). Currently, in his role as a postdoctoral fellow at Palzkill Lab, he investigates DNA-encoded library inhibitors to target antimicrobial resistance enzymes, including Mobilized colistin resistance (MCR-1) and Oxa-48. Beyond his research, he is passionate about sports and adventurous travel.

Dignite earned his Bachelor's degree in Integrated Sciences with a minor in Biochemistry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2022, and joined Palzkill Lab in Spring of 2023.

The use of carbapenems, also referred to as last-resort antibiotics, has resulted in the emergence of enzymes like KPC-2 that can efficiently hydrolyze these drugs. His project aims to understand the catalytic mechanism by which KPC-2 and its clinical variants hydrolyze carbapenems, providing valuable insights for the rational design of improved antibiotics and inhibitors. His primary research methods include kinetics analysis, molecular biology, and x-ray crystallography.

Paola Rivera graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a minor in Biology in 2021. She joined the Palzkill lab in 2022 and her thesis work is on characterizing the humoral immune response to syphilis infections through phage display epitope mapping. She also studies the beta-lactamase inhibitory protein (BLIP) and mutating key residues for more potent inhibition across classes of beta-lactamases.

Pearl earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry with a double specialization in organic chemistry and biological and medicinal chemistry, along with a double minor in Politics, Law, and Social Thought and Biochemistry and Cell Biology, from Rice University in 2022. She joined the MD/PhD program at Baylor College of Medicine in Fall 2022 and completed 2 years of medical school and clinical rotations before joining the graduate school in the Chemical, Physical, and Structural Biology program in Fall 2024. Currently, she is a second-year graduate student in the Palzkill Lab.

Pearl’s prior research looked at oncology from different lenses, including biophysics and diagnostic imaging, organic chemistry, and materials science and nanoengineering. In the Palzkill Lab, her project focuses on the challenge of Gram-negative antibiotic discovery. By integrating predictive physicochemical features of entry and accumulation into the design of high-throughput combinatorial chemistry libraries, she hopes to develop a platform that can bridge the gap between in vitro affinity and whole-cell activity for Gram-negative drug discovery. Her research methods include design and construction of DNA-encoded chemical libraries, computational virtual library enumeration, organic synthesis, kinetics analysis, molecular biology, and x-ray crystallography.

Beyond her research, you can find Pearl traveling, spiking her adrenaline with crazy adventures, enjoying the arts and music scene in Houston, and trying all kinds of cuisines.

Jamie received her Bachelors of Science in Ecology Evolution and Behavior from the University of Texas and her Masters in Coastal and Marine Systems Science at Texas A&M University of Corpus Christi. She has worked in the protein structural biology since 2019. Her research involvement includes understanding beta-lactamase epistasis and coronavirus mpro inhibition. Methods included in her research include protein work and kinetics.