Matt Kelker Email & Phone Number

Pittsboro, IN, US

Indianapolis, IN, US

Indianapolis, IN, US

• Define long term growth strategy of laboratory capabilities and operations.
• Establish external collaborations and licensing.
• Serve as technical lead for laboratory with two direct reports.

Indianapolis, IN, US

Expand laboratory operations to encompass a broad range of expression systems, techniques and service line offerings.Gain new clients by participating in sales calls, writing contracts and customer support during the course of every project.

Indianapolis, IN, US

• Grew protein production laboratory to profitability in two years.

Pittsboro, IN, US

• Start-up; yeast based synthetic biology and strain development company
• Responsible for growing R&D capability and supporting team (three direct reports) with limited funding and resources.
• Find novel applications for our proprietary S. cerevisiae cell factories (e.g. protein or fine chemical production) and identification of new business opportunities therein.
• Establish research priorities and budgets.
• Test novel strains for fermentation performance and assess metabolic profiles.
• Lead Analytical Fermentation Group which models 800,000 gallon fuel ethanol fermenters at bench scale.

Indianapolis, IN, US

• Bioengineering and Bioprocess R&D, Protein Expression Group
• Built pilot scale, protein expression and downstream processing laboratory from conception to new facility buildout.
• Created in-house structural biology and protein engineering capability, resulting in 90% cost reduction from previous collaboration costs.
• Utilized proprietary Pseudomonas fluorescens expression technology to develop gram level expression strains; optimized fermentation scale up. As needed, Eukaryotic expression strains were developed.
• Developed purification strategies (~2g – 85g) for >20 targets to support global Regulatory submissions and environmental safety assessments.
• Determined unique protein formulations (cryo-preservatives or excipients) to ensure long term stability (3-10 years) and activity retention in liquid or lyophilized powder form.

Providence, Rhode Island, US

• Advisor: Dr. Wolfgang PetiDepartment of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and BiotechnologyNMR and crystallographic studies of Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) and its binding partners
• Probed PP1 inhibition mechanism by determining crystal structures of PP1:inhibitor complexes.
• Created chaperone based E. coli expression strain to produce soluble PP1.
• Calculated NMR structures of proteins implicated in neurological disease to study neuronal signaling and disorders.
• Trained graduate and undergraduate students; received NIH post-doctoral fellowship.

La Jolla, California, US

• Advisor: Dr. Ian A. WilsonDepartment of Molecular Biology and the Skaggs Institute for Chemical BiologyX-ray crystallographic studies of proteins involved in innate immunity
• Developed expression strains and optimized fermentation protocols of prokaryotic, eukaryotic and mammalian heterologous expression systems.
• Established purification protocols for soluble and insoluble proteins for crystallization.
• Probed structure-function relationships of extracellular receptors of the innate and adaptive immune systems using biophysical techniques.
• Created and delivered lectures on the biology of Chemical and Biological Warfare to high school teachers and students.

West Lafayette, IN, US

• Advisor: Dr. Barb GoldenDepartment of BiochemistryX-ray crystallographic studies of catalytic RNA and RNA complexes
• Used in vitro translation to produce and purity structural RNAs.
• Crystallize RNA and RNA complexes and collect data.
• Collaborate with graduate students and lead several independent projects.

West Lafayette, IN, US

• Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey BolinDepartment of Biological SciencesX-ray crystallographic studies of metalloenzymes
• Crystallized dioxygenases under anaerobic conditions, collected data and determined crystal structures to understand mode of action against polychlorinated biphenyls.

West Lafayette, IN, US

• Advisor: Dr. D. James MorréDepartment of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Thesis: “Heat and protease resistant glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from HeLa cells.”
• Determined that the tNOX protein has prion-like properties.

Cardiff, Wales, GB

• Advisor: Dr. Peter KilleBiosciences DepartmentBioremediation; expression and kinetic binding analysis of mutant metallothioneins
• Expressed, purified and assayed metallothionein constructs for increased heavy metal binding affinities.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biophysics/Structural Immunology

B.S. (Honors), Molecular Biology

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Molecular Biology