Nicole Lopanik, PhD

Scientist
Career Growth and Research Excellence

Why I Work at ACS

I’m thrilled to work for an organization that does so much to fight cancer—from supporting patients to funding ground-breaking research. With my background in research, I love that I can contribute to helping researchers develop and test the next potential tool in this important fight.”

At ACS since 2020

As a Scientist for Extramural Discovery Science, Nicole Lopanik, PhD, is responsible for organizing the Peer Review process for research grant applications in the Career Growth and Research Excellence Program. This program supports the career development of postdoctoral trainees and early-stage investigators through mentorship from our distinguished ACS Professors. She also manages a large portfolio of grants, and constituent relationships with scientific volunteers, Community Research Partners, and grantees, to help researchers realize their innovative ideas.

Research focus and accomplishments

Lopanik’s research interests have focused on anticancer compounds produced by marine bacteria and their impacts on other organisms. Understanding these interactions may help scientists develop more effective drugs to fight cancer. Her interests also include understanding the genetics and biochemistry of how these compounds are produced in bacteria. Often, bacteria found in nature can be difficult to grow in the lab, so identifying and characterizing the genes that produce the compounds may result in scientists using biotechnology to synthesize large quantities of these important drugs.

Publications

For a full list of Dr. Lopanik's publications, visit her Google Scholar page.  

Contact 

 

Work before ACS

  • Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Faculty

Professional organizations

  • American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
  • International Symbiosis Society (ISS)
  • Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB)

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellow: University of Michigan, 2003-2007
  • PhD: University of Delaware, 1997-2003

Personal life 

I live in Atlanta with my husband, two kids, and dog. I like tocook, garden, travel, and play in the backyard with my family.