Professor James S. Nowick
Distinguished Professor
- A.B., Columbia University (1985)
- Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1990)
- NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1989-1991)
9 in the group
People
The group is led by Professor James S. Nowick and currently includes one researcher, six graduate students and one undergraduate researcher.
Dr. Adam Kreutzer
Researcher
- B.S., Biology, University of Utah (2006)
- M.S., Oncological Sciences, University of Utah (2008)
- Ph.D., Chemistry, University of California-Irvine (2017)
Adam Kreutzer is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, where he earned his B.S. in biology and M.S. in oncological sciences at the University of Utah. He joined Professor Nowick's group in 2012 and earned his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2017, studying the structures of oligomers formed by macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides derived from the Alzheimer's disease-related β-amyloid peptide Aβ. Adam has since remained in the Nowick group, where he is now a Researcher, and in 2026 he was awarded his first R01 from the National Institute on Aging. His research develops next-generation biologics for Alzheimer's disease: he designs conformationally constrained peptides that reproduce the structures amyloid proteins adopt in disease, and uses them both to raise conformation-selective antibodies and to design de novo protein binders. His R01 supports the development of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies aimed at the early, toxic forms of Aβ, and he is extending the same approach to other proteins involved in neurodegeneration, including apolipoprotein E4, tau, and TDP-43. His broader goal is to build better probes and therapies for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
Jackson Brunicardi
Graduate Student
- B.S.P.S, Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, University of Toledo (2021)
Jackson was born in Houston, Texas but spent most of his formative years in beautiful, sunny Laguna Beach, California. The genesis of Jackson’s passion for translational chemical research began in high school as he worked to develop cost-efficient, electrochemical, bacterial sensors to aid third-world countries in identifying sources of sanitary water. His desire to develop translational therapies would later manifest as he completed his degree in medicinal and biological chemistry at the University of Toledo, Ohio. While there, he developed as a medicinal chemist - synthesizing a plethora of novel photo-affinity labeling (PAL) probes to investigate the proteomics and pharmacokinetics associated with schedule I drug targets in the Schiefer Lab. Now at UCI, Jackson hopes to further foster his passion for chemical research and education under the direction of Dr. James Nowick - with aim to investigate the multifaceted molecular basis of amyloidosis and explore potential therapies to its associated disease states. In his free time, Jackson enjoys skim-boarding at local beaches, exploring new spots to eat with friends, and meditating.
Sophie Lee Padilla
Graduate Student
- B.S., Biology and Chemistry, University of Saint Joseph (2022)
Sophie was born and raised in the sunny island of the Philippines. In 2019, she decided to pack her bags and move half way across the world to the East Coast. There she completed her undergraduate degree and received her B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Saint Joseph. During her time there, she got involved with research that looked at viral detection using IR spectroscopy. This project sparked her passion for interdisciplinary research in both biology and chemistry. She decided to continue pursuing this passion at the Nowick lab at UCI. Here she hopes to broaden her laboratory skills and discover innovative ways to overcome antibiotic resistance. During her free time, Sophie has been exploring and enjoying SoCal and all it offers with family and friends.
Jovanna Ivonne Carrera Plancarte
Graduate Student
- B.S., Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of California-Irvine (2023)
Jovanna was born and raised in Compton, California before moving inland to Riverside, California at the age of 7. She showed great interest in math and science from a young age, so she decided to pursue a Chemical Engineering degree at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). As her studies progressed, her interest moved towards chemical biology, health sciences, and pharmaceutical development research. She added a double major in Chemistry and began conducting research in Professor Brian Paegel’s laboratory, where she worked on developing reaction conditions for the synthesis of DNA-encoded libraries in magnetic hydrogel particles. After realizing her immense passion for research, she decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCI in Professor James Nowick’s laboratory, where she is investigating immunotherapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and characterizing the structures of neurotoxic Amyloid-Beta oligomers found in AD brains. Her career aspirations are to become a researcher in a biomedical or pharmaceutical company and continue to investigate novel therapeutics for the treatment of AD. When she is not in lab, Jovanna likes to spend time with her family, explore outdoors, and soak up some sun at our local Orange County beaches.
Carolina Gatewood
Graduate Student
- B.S., Chemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology (2024)
Carolina was born and raised in Fayetteville, Georgia and later moved to Atlanta for undergrad where she received her B.S. in Chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology. During her time there she worked in Professor M.G. Finn’s lab with a focus on peptide-based motifs for immunology doing peptide synthesis for SARS-CoV-2 and Mumps related proteins as well as work with PP7 virus-like particles. This work sparked her interest in immunology along with a desire to pursue interdisciplinary research in biology and chemistry. She’s now continuing to pursue these interests at UCI in the Nowick lab where she plans to investigate the Tau protein and potential immunotherapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. Outside of the lab, Carolina enjoys crocheting and other crafts, baking, and exploring SoCal.
Harry Ung
Graduate Student
- B.S., Chemistry, Emory University (2024)
Harry was born and raised on the vibrant streets of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His passion for chemistry began in high school, inspiring him to pursue undergraduate studies at Emory University, where he earned a B.S. in Chemistry. During his time at Emory, he conducted research in organometallic catalysis under the guidance of Professor Simon Blakey. Eager to further expand his expertise beyond methodology research, Harry joined the Nowick Group at the University of California, Irvine, where he is exploring peptide-based antibiotic synthesis. His research aims to contribute to the development of novel therapeutics targeting antibiotic resistance and other diseases. Beyond the lab, Harry enjoys visiting local beaches, exploring hidden outdoor gems with his film camera, and spending time at cafés with friends.
Katarina Patitucci
Graduate Student
- B.A., Chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Franklin & Marshall College (2025)
Kat grew up in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and later moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to pursue her undergraduate studies. She earned her B.A. in Chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Franklin & Marshall College, where she conducted research in the laboratories of Professors Christine Phillips-Piro and Scott Brewer. There, she helped establish a methodology utilizing the non-canonical amino acid 4-cyano-L-phenylalanine to assess protein unfolding. To further develop her skills in synthetic organic chemistry, Kat also joined the laboratory of Professor Edward Fenlon, where she continued her work with non-canonical amino acids and developed a scalable and economical synthesis of 4-ethynyl-L-phenylalanine. At UCI, Kat joined the Nowick group, where her current research focuses on investigating peptide-based antibiotics. She is interested in understanding how peptide structure and molecular organization influence antibiotic activity, with the broader goal of informing the design of new peptide therapeutics. She hopes her work will contribute to the development of new approaches to combating antibiotic resistance. In her free time, Kat enjoys exploring the local food scene, spending time at the beach, and baking.
Ben Bauman
Undergraduate Research Assistant
- Chemistry Undergraduate, University of California-Irvine (2027)
embarks on his organic chemistry classes and support the efforts of Sophie’s research aspirations.
Joining the group
We welcome enquiries from prospective graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and UC Irvine undergraduates. Write to jsnowick@uci.edu with your CV and a note about what you would like to work on.