Megan is an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at Brown University, where her research in chemical biology focuses on the role of complex carbohydrates in human health and disease. Megan received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Binghamton University, where she investigated the role of nuclear pore proteins in cargo trafficking. When starting graduate studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Megan transitioned her research interests to chemistry and chemical biology where she focused on developing nucleic acid nanostructures as drug delivery tools, microfluidic-based cell delivery systems, protein probes for detection of cell division DNA structural motifs, and RNA aptamers against glycosaminoglycans. She then moved to MIT where she received the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein postdoctoral fellowship, and developed a directed evolution platform to generate proteins that selectively bind glycan antigens and epitopes. At Brown, Megan is excited to continue developing these research areas towards glycan-focused technologies that enable detection, synthesis, and understanding of complex carbohydrates.

In her free time Megan enjoys climbing, cooking, drumming, and hanging out with her cats!

Izzy Nagle

Graduate Student

I’m Izzy, a first year PhD student in the Chemistry Department. I grew up in Needham, MA and I graduated from Colorado College in 2023 with a B.A. in Biochemistry. My undergraduate research experiences spanned from RNA biochemistry to porphyrin-based oxygen sensing devices. In my graduate studies, I am excited to explore interdisciplinary and translational research. Within the Kizer Lab, I am interested in utilizing the proteins developed through the directed evolution pipeline for therapeutic applications. Aside from research, I enjoy anything that is active and takes place outside! I also love to travel, knit, and see live music.