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Faculty

Don Spratt

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Scholarly interests

Enzymes, Ubiquitin, HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases, Homeodomain Transcription Factors, NMR Spectroscopy, Protein-Protein/DNA Interactions, STEM Outreach, Career Development

Don Spratt

Professor, Chemistry

Don Spratt is a Professor in the Gustaf H. Carlson School of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Director of STEM Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities at Clark University. His NIH and MLSC funded research group focuses on the structural and mechanistic studies of the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases and homeodomain transcription factors using biophysical approaches. Dr. Spratt was a 2021 Jack W. Lund Clark Community Achievement Awardee, a 2024 New England Biolabs Passion for Science Awardee in Scientific Mentorship and Advocacy, and a 2025 Clark University Faculty Urban Fellowship for his initiative to make STEM education and laboratory research experience real for hundreds of high school students across the Worcester region. He was a 2022 Hodgkins Junior Faculty Awardee for excellence in research, teaching, and service. He is an active member of the Protein Society. For Summer 2025, he worked as the Academic Director for the Summer Science Program International (ssp.org) at Purdue University where he engaged with 36 domestic and international high school students in hands-on biochemical research of enzymes, effective science communication, and soft skill development. 

Prior to joining Clark University in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow and research associate in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario where he examined proteins involved in the ubiquitylation-signaling pathway. He was the recipient of postdoctoral fellowship awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Waterloo and his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from Mount Allison University.

Courses Offered:
BCMB 271 – Foundations in Biochemistry (Lecture & Lab)
BCMB 272 – Carbohydrate Metabolism
BCMB 275 – Protein Chemistry
BCMB 277 – Enzyme Reaction Mechanisms
CHEM 030 – Kitchen Chemistry (Lecture & Lab)
CHEM 289 – LEEPing into a Science Career

Degrees

  • Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Waterloo, 2008
  • B.S. in Biochemistry, Mount Allison University, 2003

Affiliated Departments

Chemistry, Biology

Scholarly and creative works

Awards and grants

  • Workforce Development Capital Grant Program

    Massachusetts Life Sciences Center

    clock icon Oct. 2, 2023 – Oct. 2, 2025

  • Structure and Mechanism of HERC5-dependent ISGylation

    National Institute of General Medical Sciences

    clock icon May. 1, 2022 – Apr. 30, 2025

  • Clark University Biochemistry Outreach in Worcester MA: Protein Purification and Science Careers

    The Protein Society

    clock icon Sep. 11, 2023 – Sep. 11, 2024

  • Administrative Supplements for Equipment Purchases for Select NIGMS-Funded Awards

    National Institute of General Medical Sciences

    clock icon Jul. 10, 2023 – Jul. 10, 2024

  • Using Computational Artificial Intelligence for Small Molecule Discovery to Drug the HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases

    Atomwise, Inc.

    clock icon Dec. 1, 2021 – Mar. 31, 2023

  • Food Studies Undergraduate Concentration Development

    Provost's Academic Innovation Award

  • Open Educational Resources for the Promotion of Academic Excellence, Equity, and College Affordability

    Clark University Library Development Grant

  • Biochemical and Structural Examination of Proteins Implicated in Human Diseases

    ClarkU Faculty Development Fund

    clock icon Apr. 26, 2021 – Apr. 26, 2022

  • Clark University Biochemistry Outreach in Worcester MA: Protein Purification and Science Careers

    The Protein Society

    clock icon Feb. 3, 2020 – Feb. 3, 2021

  • Dean's Public Intellectuals Program

    Dean of the Faculty, Clark University

    clock icon Jan. 1, 2020 – Dec. 31, 2020

  • Structure and Mechanism of HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases

    National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

    clock icon Sep. 20, 2017 – Aug. 31, 2020

  • Biochemistry & Mechanism of HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases

    Carl J. and Anna Carlson Endowed Research Chair, Clark University

    clock icon Aug. 1, 2015 – Aug. 1, 2018
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