Quinnipiac University
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
Hamden, CT, USA
2017 - Present
Robert E Collins, Ph.D
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Dr. Collins is an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry and Physical Sciences department. As a structural biologist, his teaching and research focuses on atomic level explorations of biological chemistry. His current research focuses on the discovery, purification and characterization of enzymes that utilize metals (particularly copper) in catalysis.
Dr. Collins obtained his PhD in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology at Emory University, and was awarded a Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale Unversity.
Primary areas of teaching: Biochemistry Lectures (CHE 315 & 316) and associated lab (CHE 315L).
Dr. Collins uses biochemistry and structural biology to study enzymes that catalyze reactions using transition metals. Students in his lab use bioinformatic tools to search for novel metal containing enzymes, which are then expressed in E. coli using recombinant DNA technology. Following purification by column chromatography, the enzymes are characterized using spectrophotometric enzyme assays. Last, X-ray crystallography is used to solve the atomic structures of the enzymes discovered. Structures allow us to better understand enzyme specificity and mechanisms, to refine the bioinformatic search process, and to allow for design and engineering of better performing enzymes. Recently, the lab has focused on discovering enzymes capable of degrading lignin (the major barrier in the production of biofuels from cellulosic biomass) or that have applications in greener industrial processes and enzymatic remediation.
Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NvbCZy8AAAAJ&hl=en
Dr. Collins obtained his PhD in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology at Emory University, and was awarded a Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale Unversity.
Primary areas of teaching: Biochemistry Lectures (CHE 315 & 316) and associated lab (CHE 315L).
Dr. Collins uses biochemistry and structural biology to study enzymes that catalyze reactions using transition metals. Students in his lab use bioinformatic tools to search for novel metal containing enzymes, which are then expressed in E. coli using recombinant DNA technology. Following purification by column chromatography, the enzymes are characterized using spectrophotometric enzyme assays. Last, X-ray crystallography is used to solve the atomic structures of the enzymes discovered. Structures allow us to better understand enzyme specificity and mechanisms, to refine the bioinformatic search process, and to allow for design and engineering of better performing enzymes. Recently, the lab has focused on discovering enzymes capable of degrading lignin (the major barrier in the production of biofuels from cellulosic biomass) or that have applications in greener industrial processes and enzymatic remediation.
Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NvbCZy8AAAAJ&hl=en
Education
- PHD, Emory University
Areas of Expertise
- Structural Biology
- Recombinant Protein Expression
- Biofuels
- Biotechnology
Organization
- Chemistry
Office Location
- Buckman Center 121A
Mail Drop
- BC-SCI
Experience
Yale University
Instructor, Summer Sessions
New Haven, CT, USA
2013 - Present
Eastern Connecticut State University
Assistant Professor
Willimantic, CT, USA
2013 - 2017
Wesleyan University
Visiting Assistant Professor
Middletown, CT, USA
2013 - 2013
Yale University
Postdoctoral Fellow/Postdoctoral Teaching Scholar
New Haven CT, USA
2009 - 2013
Emory University
Graduate Research Assistant
Atlanta, GA, USA
2001 - 2007
University of Georgia
Undergraduate research assistant/Lab Technician
Athens, GA, USA
1997 - 2001
Selected Publications
Invited Speaker
Multicopper Oxidases in Ancient and Emerging Technologies
Collins, R
QU Honors Program: 60 Second Lectures, Hamden, CT, Quinnipiac University (2022)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
Towards a solution of the lignin problem: Discovery and engineering of high redox potential bacterial laccases
Collins, R
American Chemical Society National Meeting Theme: Sustainability in a Changing World , virtual (2022)
Invited Speaker
Bacterial Laccases: Promising Green Catalysts for Industrial Applications
Collins, R
Quinnipiac Chapter Sigma Xi Seminar Series, Hamden, CT, Quinnipiac Chapter Sigma Xi (2021)
Peer Reviewed Presentations
“Towards an enzymatic solution to the lignin problem: Bacterial laccases”
Collins, R
American Chemical Society Spring 2021 National Conference, Fully online (2021)
Protein data base depositions of protein structures
Collins, R, Soares, A, Coler E, Partowmah, S
(2021)
Peer Reviewed Journal
Structural analysis and biochemical properties of laccase enzymes from two Pediococcus species
Isidoro Olmeda, Patricia Casino, Robert E. Collins, Ramón Sendra, Sara Callejón, Juanjo Huesa, Alexei S. Soares, Sergi Ferrer, Isabel Pardo
14(3) Microbial Biotechnology 1026–1043 26 February 2021 (2021)
Invited Speaker
Structural characterization of bacterial laccases
Collins, R
Department of Energy Visiting Faculty Program Colloquium, Upton, NY, Brookhaven National Laboratory (2019)