Julia Brumaghim

Biography

Dr. Brumaghim earned her A.B. degree in chemistry from Harvard University in 1994. Her Ph.D. work with Prof. Greg Girolami at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign involved the synthesis of air-sensitive osmium complexes. After graduation in 1999, she was an NIH postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Ken Raymond at the University of California, Berkeley (1999-2001), studying chiral bioinorganic and supramolecular coordination chemistry. She then joined Prof. Stuart Linn's lab in the molecular and cellular biology department at Berkeley to conduct postdoctoral research in the biochemistry of DNA damage and iron interactions with NAD(P)H (2001-2003) before joining the faculty at Clemson University in 2003.

Research Interest

Research in the Brumaghim group aims to understand how metal ions form oxygen radical species that damage DNA and cause cell death, and how antioxidants prevent this damage. Studying DNA damage inhibition by antioxidants may lead to future treatments for cancer and other diseases caused by oxidative damage. Research projects combine areas of coordination chemistry, biochemistry, and toxicology. Because of the diversity of research areas, students will develop skills in both inorganic chemistry and the biochemistry of nucleic acids and oxidative DNA damage.