Principal Investigator
Eric Hegg (he/him) obtained his B.A. from Kalamazoo College and his Ph.D. from the University
of Wisconsin under the direction of Professor Judith Burstyn. It was during his time
at Wisconsin that he became interested in metalloenzymology, studying the role of
metal ions in enzymes that hydrolyze DNA, RNA, and proteins. After receiving his Ph.D.,
Eric joined Larry Que's group at the University of Minnesota as an NIH postdoctoral
fellow where he studied non-heme iron dioxygenases and established his long-standing
interest in understanding how nature synthesizes and activates small molecules such
as H2 and O2. Following his postdoctoral work, Eric and his family moved to Salt Lake City where
he joined the faculty of the University of Utah and began his independent research
career. When the opportunity arose, Eric and his wife eagerly returned to the northern
Midwest to join the faculty at MSU. In addition to studying heme biosynthesis and
O2 utilization, he is involved in developing renewable bioenergy, converting biomass
into ethanol and other transportation fuels as wells as using microbes to generate
H2. When Eric is not busy in the lab, he enjoys running, hiking, and most outdoor activities.
E-mail: EricHegg@msu.edu
Research associates
Sreeahila Retnadhas (she/her)
joined the Hegg group in February 2022. She completed her master’s degree in Biotechnology
from Anna University, India. She earned her PhD from Indian Institute of Technology
Madras under the guidance of Prof. Sathyanarayana Gummadi where she worked on enzymology
of bacterial caffeine degradation. She is currently working on an NSF project where
chemo-enzymatic methods are being applied for efficient depolymerization of polyolefins.
Outside of lab, she loves music (more specifically A R Rahman), growing plants and
spending time with her family.
Email: retnadha@msu.edu
Elise Rivett (she/her) joined the Hegg lab in 2014 as a graduate student in the Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology program and completed her Ph.D. in May 2021. Before coming to MSU,
she earned a B.S. in chemistry from Olivet Nazarene University. Her graduate research
in the Hegg lab focused on characterizing the mechanism of heme a synthase, an enzyme
that produces an essential cofactor for cytochrome c oxidase. Following graduation,
she stayed on in the Hegg lab to work with new colorful metalloenzymes that are involved
in the production of N2O, a greenhouse gas. Elise also enjoys long rambling walks,
Costa Rican coffee, and funky socks.
E-mail: rivettel@msu.edu
Jundong Wang (he/him) will be joining the Hegg lab in Spring 2024. His project will broadly focus
on scaling up our patented Cu-AHP process for the conversion of woody biomass into
a variety of bioproducts.
UnderGraduate Assistants
Olivia White (she/her) is an undergraduate research assistant currently pursuing her BS in Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University. She joined the Hegg Lab in August
2023. Prior to university she graduated from Royal Oak Highschool. She works closely
with Joel focusing on the kinetics of cytochrome c nitrite reductase confined in synthetic
bacterial microcompartments. She enjoys hanging out with friends, summer, and rugby.
Email: whiteo16@msu.edu
Graduate Assistants
Louisa Ellis (she/her) is a graduate student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) department
who joined the lab in the Spring of 2022. Prior to coming to MSU, she earned her B.S.
in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Louisa's research focuses
on the characterization and regulatory elucidation of bacterial Lytic Polysaccharide
Monooxygenases (LPMOs). In her free time, she enjoys hiking, sailing, and listening
to music.
Email: ellislou@msu.edu
Krystina Hird (she/her) is a graduate student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) program
at MSU and joined the Hegg lab in March of 2020. She received her BS in Biochemistry
from Miami of Ohio in 2019. Her research project focuses on understanding the mechanism
of converting nitrite to ammonium via bacterial cytochrome c nitrite reductase. She
enjoys camping, watching movies, and eating good food.
E-mail: hirdkrys@msu.edu
Joel Landa (he/him) is a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) program at
MSU. Joel joined Hegg lab in March of 2023. He received his B.S. in Molecular Cell
Biology from California State University Long Beach in 2022. Joel’s research is focused
on understanding the kinetics of cytochrome c nitrite reductase confined in synthetic
bacterial microcompartments. On his free time, Joel enjoys playing the guitar and
skating.
E-mail: landajoe@msu.edu
Sepideh Kianian (she/her) joined the Hegg lab in the fall of 2023. Prior to joining the team at MSU,
she completed her master’s degree in Medicinal Chemistry from Beheshti University.
The focus of her thesis project involves the isolation of lignin from various biomass
sources and the development of epoxidized lignins for use in waterborne epoxy coatings.
The aim is to create bioproducts that match or surpass the performance of conventional
petroleum-based counterparts. Outside the lab, she is passionate about sports, particularly
volleyball and tennis, and enjoys watching movies.
E-mail: kianians@msu.edu
