Principal Investigators

Joan Broderick

Joan Broderick, Principal Investigator, received her B.S. in Chemistry from Washington State University and later her MS and PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Northwestern University. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT and then started her career at Amherst College as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. She transitioned to Michigan State University where she was a Professor of Chemistry until 2005 when she moved to Montana State University. She was awarded the title of Women in Science Distinguished Professor in 2014 and currently serves as the Department Head of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Dept.

Joan Broderick CV

Will Broderick

Will Broderick, Research and Teaching Professor, received his B.S. in Chemistry from Northern Arizona University and a Ph.D. at Washington State University. He was a postdoctoral scholar in molecular solid state materials with Brian Hoffman at Northwestern University. He has held faculty positions at the University at Albany- SUNY and Michigan State University before moving to Montana State University in 2005. He and Joan teach and run the Broderick group, while trying to keep up with their 18-year-old twin boys on the ski slopes, trout streams, and hiking trails around Bozeman.

Research Professor

Eric Shepard

Eric received his B.S in Chemistry from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT before attending graduate school at Montana State University. He earned his PhD in Biochemistry in the laboratory of David Dooley, where he was supported by an NSF IGERT fellowship. He was a Senior Research Scientist until 2016 when he was promoted to Assistant Research Professor in the Broderick laboratory. Eric is an avid outdoorsman, and enjoys wildlife photography and exploring the mountains of Montana with his family.

Post Doctoral Fellow / Lab Manager

Oleg Zadvornyy

Oleg is a post doctoral fellow in the Broderick lab. He obtained his Ph.D. in Russia. Oleg works on RSAD1 (Radical SAM domain containing 1)  protein. Oleg enjoys hiking and backpacking in Montana.

Graduate Students

Will Walls

Will earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Oregon State University in 2019. After a gap year, he joined Joan’s lab in 2020 to pursue his PhD. Will now works on elucidating the mechanism of radical SAM epimerases involved in RiPP natural product biosynthesis. In his spare time, he enjoys going to CrossFit, hiking, and cooking.

Alex Marlott 

Alex graduated with a B.A. in Biochemistry from Occidental College in 2021 before joining the Broderick lab for his PhD studies. Alex works to understand [FeFe]-hydrogenase maturation which relies on radical SAM enzymes to assemble the organometallic H-cluster in the active site of the hydrogenase. Outside of the lab, Alex can be found skiing, hiking, camping, and generally enjoying the outdoors.

Chioma Irozuru

My research is centered on uncovering the regulatory and functional roles of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in Radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzymes, a large and mechanistically diverse superfamily that catalyzes challenging radical-mediated transformations across all domains of life. I’m particularly interested in exploring the radical SAM enzyme PFL-AE tailoring my research to find new bioengineering pathways to this enzyme. I hope my research will advance our understanding of radical enzymology and open new avenues for regulating or engineering Radical SAM enzymes for biotechnological and therapeutic applications.

Balyn Muffley

Balyn earned her B.S. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2024. Her research in the Broderick group focuses on the biochemical and structural characterization of radical adenosyl domain 1 (Rsad1), a radical SAM protein found in humans which has newly been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. In her free time, Balyn loves to play volleyball, read, play games, and spend time outside with her husband and two mini Australian Sheperds.

Abraham Teye

Andrew Gleason

Undergraduates

Jared Green 

Bailey Hoyt

Lydia Puckett

Tyler Delridge

Tyler M. Delridge, an undergraduate researcher, is currently pursuing his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Montana State University. With the guidance of mentors in the Broderick Lab, including Joan and Will Broderick, Tyler earned the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship in 2024. He is passionate about moving into the biotech or pharmaceutical industry, where he aims to contribute to the development of novel therapeutics and bioprocessing solutions. Born and raised in Montana, Tyler values the importance of community and the opportunities that mentorship provides for personal and professional growth. Outside the lab, he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and sports and is committed to advancing his knowledge to make a meaningful impact in the healthcare sector.