Dr. April Lukowski

Assistant Professor

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Biography

April Lukowski is an Assistant Professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego. She completed her B.S. in Biochemistry in 2015 at Saginaw Valley State University and earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Biology from the University of Michigan in 2020. Following her doctoral studies, she pursued postdoctoral research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography from 2020 to 2023. Her research focuses on understanding the unique chemistry of marine life, aiming to discover novel biosynthetic enzymes and explore their biocatalytic potential. She utilizes techniques in enzymology, chemical analysis, and bioinformatics to identify and characterize new biocatalysts and enzyme families, with the goal of generating natural product-derived therapeutics. Her contributions to the field include the discovery of new families of flavin-dependent halogenases and elucidation of biosynthetic pathways for marine toxins that affect human and animal health.

Research Interests

Awards

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NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship

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NIH NRSA Predoctoral Fellowship

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Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship

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American Chemical Society Outstanding Graduate Chemistry

Requirements for University of California, San Diego

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:85
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:120
Overall
Required:120
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in physical, biological, or earth sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Differential and integral calculus. One year of calculus-based physics with laboratory. One year of chemistry with laboratory.
Application Checklist
  • Statement of Purpose (max 2 pages)
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Application fee ($135 domestic / $155 international)
Specialization Notes

Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).