Kathleen Leamy, Ph.D.

The Leamy lab studies the folding, function, and adaptation of small functional RNAs.  These RNAs include transfer RNA, ribozymes (catalytic RNAs), and riboswitches (RNAs that bind small molecules).  Functional RNAs are of high interest since they fold into complex three-dimensional structures that allow for specific function and often gene regulation.  Our research projects are at the interface of biological, analytical, and physical chemistry, and employ both computational and experimental methods.