Katharine A. White, Ph.D.
Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
NIH Director New Innovator Award 2020-2025
B.S. Chemistry, Saint Mary’s College 2007
Ph.D. Chemistry, MIT 2012
Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSF
NRSA F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32CA-177085)
Email: kwhite6@nd.edu
Google Scholar Profile
CV
“I’m interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying pH-sensitive cancer cell behaviors. I want to develop new chemical tools that allow us to probe and manipulate individual cells and understand how single-cell behaviors influence global cancer phenotypes.”
Originally from South Bend, IN, Katie graduated from Saint Mary’s College in 2007 with a B.S. in Chemistry. In 2012, she obtained her Ph.D. in Chemistry from MIT. Her thesis work in Alice Ting’s lab focused on developing novel protein labeling methods and utilized protein design and enzyme evolution techniques. As an NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellow, Katie performed research in cell biology under the mentorship of Diane Barber at the University of California San Francisco. There Katie began answering key questions on how somatic cancer mutations can confer pH sensing to mutant proteins, enabling cancer phenotypes specifically at increased intracellular pH. In 2019, she joined Notre Dame’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as a Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor.
Katie is an avid orchid grower and crossword puzzler. When not in lab, she enjoys relaxing with good books, good buddies, good beer, and good board games!