No one goes through life unscathed. It’s essential to navigate challenging moments and cultivate resilience.
Hyun-Joo Nam Assistant Professor
- Faculty
Dr. Hyun-Joo Nam has enjoyed participating in research since her years as an undergraduate student. She is excited to pursue her passion for research at A&M-Commerce. In addition to her research interests, Nam spends more time in the classroom than in previous years. She utilizes innovative pedagogical methods and technologies to adapt her courses to ever-evolving student demographics and needs. She aspires to help students realize and achieve their full potential.
A Conversation with Dr. Nam
Who has been a role model for you? How has this person positively influenced you?
Among the many role models in my life, two stand out. From my father, Nam Doo Hee, I learned the essence of leading a principled life. From my mentor, Mavis Agbandje-McKenna, I gained insights into being a principled researcher.
What is an important life lesson you have learned?
No one goes through life unscathed. It’s essential to navigate challenging moments and cultivate resilience.
Tell me about your lab and current research interests.
My research lab is focused on creating affordable insulin, developing inhibitors for the FOXC2 protein as potential treatments for advanced cancers and designing AAV gene therapy vectors targeting the nervous system. Our research focuses on the structure-function relationships of viruses, proteins and protein-DNA complexes, with the goal of engineering these molecules for biotechnological applications.
We utilize a combination of X-ray crystallography, biochemistry and molecular modeling to investigate molecules that regulate gene expression in cancer cells and the use of virus particles in gene delivery systems. Ultimately, our objective is to understand how structure dictates function to pave the way for innovative therapeutic treatments for diseases.
Education
- Ph.D., Cell and Developmental Biology, Harvard University
- M.Ed., Biology Education, Seoul National University
- B.S., Biology, Seoul National University
Academic Positions
- Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University-Commerce
- Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Dallas
- Assistant Scientist, University of Florida
- Research Associate, Harvard University