Lisa Lambert, Ph.D.

Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Learning & Professor of Biology

412-365-1217

Buhl - 128A

Hometown: Fort Mitchell, KY
Joined Chatham: 1985

ACADEMIC AREAS OF INTEREST

Molecular evolution of iron transport proteins (especially, transferrin, DMT1, hemojuvelin; iron uptake in bacteria, especially ferric binding proteins; co-evolution of proteins

PERSONAL AREAS OF INTEREST

Bridge, computer games, reading (science fiction and mysteries), travel

BIOGRAPHY

After earning a BS in Biology (1980, magna cum laude) from Furman University, I studied Genetics at Indiana University-Bloomington (PhD 1985). Just two days after turning in my thesis, I drove to Pittsburgh to join the faculty at Chatham, where I have also served as department chair (Biology), division chair (Natural Sciences), associate dean (Academic Affairs), and program director (MS Biology). During the 2013 calendar year, I did a sabbatical at the Harvard University School of Public Health, Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases. My research focuses on the evolution of the genes involved in iron transport and regulation using primarily a bioinformatics approach (phylogenetics, protein modeling, etc.) I have served as a panel reviewer for the NSF and NIH, as an external reviewer for several colleges, and as an ad hoc reviewer for a number of journals including BMC Genomics and the Journal of Molecular Evolution. Over the years I've offered over 20 different courses including genetics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, research methods, and developmental biology. I've also had the pleasure of supervising 12 thesis students and over 65 undergraduate tutorial students. I am married to Dr. Michael Lambert of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, and we have two children and two cats.

EDUCATION

B.S. Biology, Furman University (Greenville, SC), 1980 (magna cum laude)
Ph.D., Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), 1985

AWARDS

NSF S-STEM Award DUE-1259577 ""Preparing Female Scholars for Careers in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry," $625,701
NIH F33 Fellowship-National Research Service Awards for Senior Fellows (2013 sabbatical at Harvard)
Project Bedrock Digital Scholar Mentor (HHMI-funded BioQuest initiative) 2002
NSF CCLI grant (co-PI) - The Fluorescence Spectrometer in the Undergraduate Chemistry and Biology Curriculum (1999)
1989 EDPRESS Award National Winner, best “How To Do It” article
Project Kaleidoscope, Faculty for the 21st Century, Class of 1995
NSF Supplementary Grant for Small College Investigators (1990)
Phi Beta Kappa (1980)
Rhodes Scholarship District Finalist (1979)

ORGANIZATIONS

Genetics Society of America
Phi Beta Kappa
The American Society for Microbiology

CERTIFICATIONS

NIH Responsible Conduct of Research Certificate (spring 2013)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Molecular characterization of a homolog of the ferric-uptake regulator, Fur, from the marine bacterium Marinobacter algicola DG893. (2015) Biometals 28(1):197-206. Barker RA, Tisnado J, Lambert LA, Gärdes A, Carrano MW, Carrano PN, Gillian C, Carrano CJ.
Bordetella pertussis FbpA binds both unchelated iron and iron-siderophore complexes (2014) Biochemistry 53 (24): 3952–3960. Banerjee, S; Weerasinghe, AJ; Parker-Siburt, CJ; Kreulen, RT; Armstrong, SK; Brickman, TJ; Lambert, LA; Crumbliss, AL
Borate as a synergistic anion for Marinobacter algicola ferric binding protein, FbpA: A role for boron in iron transport in marine life (2013) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 135 (39):14504–14507. Weerasighe, AJ; Amin, SA; Barker, R; Othman, T; Romano, AN; Siburt, CJP; Tisnado, J; Lambert, LA; Huxford, T; Carrano, CJ; Crumbliss, AL
Molecular evolution of the transferrin family and associated receptors. Biochim. BioPhys. Acta. (2012) 1820:244-255. Lambert, LA.
Evidence of Fe3+ interaction with the plug domain of the outer membrane transferrin receptor protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Implications for Fe transport. (2012) Metallomics 4:361-372 Banerjee, S; Siburt, CJP; Mistry, S; Noto, JM; DeArmond, P; Fitzgerald, MC; Lambert, LA; Cornelissen, CN; Crumbliss, AL
Molecular evolution and selection pressure in alpha-class carbonic anhydrase family members. Biochim. BioPhys. Acta. (2011) 1814(12):1854–1861. McDevitt ME; Lambert LA.
The structure and evolution of the murine inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase: A member of the transferrin superfamily. (2010) Protein Science: 19(9): 1616-1626. Eckenroth BE, Mason AB, McDevitt ME, Lambert LA, Everse SJ.
Molecular evolution and characterization of hepcidin gene products in vertebrates. (2008) Gene: 415(1-2): 40-48. Hilton KM; Lambert LA
A novel murine protein with no effect on iron homeostasis is homologous to transferrin and is the putative inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase (2007) Biochemical Journal 406(1): 85-95. Wang F, Lothrop AP, James NG, Griffiths TA, Lambert LA, et al.
Molecular evolution of hemojuvelin and the repulsive guidance molecule (RGM) family. (2007) Journal of Molecular Evolution Jul;65(1):68-81. Camus, LM; Lambert, LA.
Molecular evolution of the transferrin receptor/glutamate carboxypeptidase II family. (2007) Journal of Molecular Evolution 64(1):113-28. Lambert, LA; Mitchell, SL.
Evolution of the transferrin family: Conservation of residues associated with iron and anion binding. (2005) Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B 142(2):129-41. Lambert, L; Perri, H; Halbrooks, PJ; Mason, AB.
Evolution of duplications in the transferrin family of proteins. (2005) Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B.140(1):11-25. Lambert, LA; Perri, H; Meehan, T.
Disease Detective: A game simulation of a food poisoning investigation. (1989) American Biology Teacher 51(7): 429-432. (EDPRESS Award winner) Lambert, LA.

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

Babacanec C, Lambert LA. 2008. “Bioinformatics Approach to the Identification of Potential Sites of Interaction between HFE and TFR2.” Poster presentation: Symposium on Metals in Biological Systems, Duquesne University , December 2008.
Williams, KR, Lambert LA. 2007. “Evolutionary Conservation of Parvovirus VP2 and Transferrin Receptor 1 Residues.” Poster presentation: ABASM Regional Conference, November 2007.
Haslego-Hilton K, Lambert LA. 2006. “Evolution of hepcidin: an antimicrobial peptide.” Poster presentation: ABASM Regional Conference, November 2006.
Perri H, Johnson M, Lambert LA. 2004. “Patterns of amino acid conservation in clostridial neurotoxins.” Poster presentation: ABASM Regional Conference, November 2004.