Emma Ste. Marie
- Assistant Professor
About
Dr. Emma Ste. Marie. earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Emmanuel College (Boston, MA) and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Vermont (Burlington, VT). After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston College, she joined Norwich University’s faculty in 2021 as an Assistant Professor. Ste. Marie teaches organic chemistry lecture and lab, and senior synthesis/research courses.
Ste. Marie’s research lies at the intersection of chemistry and biology, and aims to synthesize chemical tools that can be used to solve biological problems. She is interested in peptides that have unique biological activities, antioxidant peptides, incorporation of non-natural amino acids into peptides, and synthesis of novel amino acids. In addition, Ste. Marie is always open to exploring new project ideas generated by students. She has served as a mentor for numerous student-lead research projects, including: the synthesis of biodiesel from algae, water quality testing in local rivers, and the binding of fungal biomolecules to heavy metals.
Education
B.S. in Chemistry, Emmanuel College.
Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Vermont
Awards and Grants
Ste. Marie is dedicated to conducting interdisciplinary research at Norwich University, and has been awarded multiple grants from the Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN) to support her work. Ste. Marie was granted a $10,000 Startup Award in 2021, and was granted a $25,000 Pilot Award in 2023 from VBRN. Ste. Marie is a member of the VBRN bioorganic thematic group where she collaborates with other faculty members throughout Vermont.
Research Interests and Expertise
With her research, Ste. Marie’s aims to develop and use chemical tools to solve biological problems. She is particularly interested in peptides equipped with nonnatural amino acids that have unique biological activities. Other research interests include designing conformational switch peptides, incorporating redox active amino acids cysteine and selenocysteine (and their derivatives) into peptides, and designing peptide therapeutics with enhanced pharmacological properties.
Courses Taught
CH225 Organic Chemistry 1
CH226 Organic Chemistry 2
CH421/CH425 Chemical Synthesis & Examination I/Research
Publications
Ste.Marie, E.J., & Hondal, R.J.. (2022). Application of alpha-methyl selenocysteine as a tool for the study of selenoproteins. Methods in Enzymology, 662, 297-329.
Ste. Marie, E.J., Wehrle, R.J., Haupt, D.J., Wood, N., Van Der Vliet, A., Previs, M.J., Masterson, D.S., & Hondal, R.J.. (2020). Can selenoenzymes resist electrophilic modification? Evidence from thioredoxin reductase and a mutant containing alpha-methyl selenocysteine. Biochem., 59(36), 3300–3315.
Ste. Marie, E.J., & Hondal, R.J. (2020) 2,2'-Dipyridyl diselenide: A chemoselective tool for cysteine
deprotection and disulfide bond formation. J. Pept. Sci., 26(3), e3236.
Professional Affiliations and Memberships
Ste. Marie is an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is an advisor for the student ACS club at Norwich. Ste. Marie’s research students have presented their findings at National ACS Conferences, and at other conferences including the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Ste. Marie is also dedicated to science outreach and serves as a volunteer organizer of the Vermont STEM Fair."
In the News
The Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN) recently awarded a combined total of $260,000 to six Norwich faculty
Norwich University announces recent grants awarded to six Norwich faculty members by the Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN)