Brandt F. Eichman, Ph.D.

William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair
Professor and Chair of Biological Sciences
Professor of Biochemistry

Research in Professor Eichman’s laboratory seeks to understand how the information encoded in DNA is maintained by determining the atomic structures and biochemical properties of protein machines involved in DNA repair and replication. Current projects focus on enzymes involved in repair of stalled replication forks, base excision repair of interstrand DNA crosslinks, and DNA repair as a means of bacterial self-resistance to genotoxic secondary metabolites.

Professor Eichman originally trained as a synthetic organic chemist, and in graduate school used X-ray crystallography to determine the effects of anti-cancer agents on DNA structure. This work culminated in his determination of the landmark structure of the Holliday junction—the four-stranded DNA intermediate formed during genetic recombination. As an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, Professor Eichman studied the structural aspects of DNA repair and replication enzymes. He is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences and Professor of Biochemistry in the School of Medicine, and holds the William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair at the College of Arts and Science. Professor Eichman teaches introductory and advanced undergraduate and graduate biochemistry courses and co-founded the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Program in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology.