Website for Dr Youngs

Department of Biological Sciences Welcomes New Faculty

Dr. Youngs began her college studies at Michigan State University but fell in love with the U.P. after she spent a summer working as a research assistant studying the nesting behavior of native, solitary leaf-cutter bees. She received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Michigan Tech. in 1996, where she studied red algal polysaccharides under Dr. Michael Gretz.

In 2003, Youngs received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Oregon Health and Sciences University for her work on structural and functional relationships in the fungal enzyme, manganese peroxidase. Youngs went on to become a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University where she worked with National Academy member, Dr. Chris Somerville, on complex carbohydrates in plants.

Dr. Youngs is primarily interested in enzyme structure/function relationships and their application to protein engineering to solve problems in biomaterials and bioremediation. Using a variety of in silico techniques and model organisms, Youngs is currently focused on oxidative enzymes, especially peroxidases. “In addition to degrading pollutants, these enzymes play natural roles in defense against pathogens, oxidative stress, and ageing. They are very large class of enzymes. For example, the model plant Arabidopsis has over 70 peroxidase genes. Although the class of enzymes is well characterized in a generic sense, we understand very little about the particular function of any one of these proteins. There is a real disconnect between the volumes of genetic data being created by advances in biotechnology and the underlying physiology and biochemistry. I think bridging this gap is the next major challenge in bioscience.”

A Michigan native, Youngs is delighted to be back at Tech. She currently lives in Houghton with her son, Mackenzie.