Draft:Katharine Diehl

Katharine L. Diehl is an American medicinal chemist who is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Utah. Dr. Diehl’s research focuses on regulation of the eukaryotic genome through post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones. Specifically, Dr. Diehl’s lab attempts to understand how the deposition, removal, and recognition of these PTMs are regulated and what downstream effects these PTMs have on DNA-mediated processes.

Education
Dr. Diehl grew up in Georgia where she remained until she moved to Chapel Hill to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC Chapel Hill, she studied Chemistry. Following her undergraduate degree, she continued to complete a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin from the years 2010 to 2015. During her Ph.D, Dr. Diehl, was named a Dorthy B Banks Fellow. After completing her Ph.D., Dr. Diehl became a Postdoctoral Research fellow at Princeton University in 2015. While at Princeton, Dr. Diehl was a National Research Service Award recipient. This award is given by the National Institutes of Health, in order to support research training of highly promising postdoctoral candidates.

Career and research
During her graduate studies at the University of Texas, Austin, Dr. Diehl’s research focused on using serum albumins to build array-based sensors for detection of chemical and biological hazards. An impactful paper she published in 2013, uses optical analytical methods combined with artificial arrays of cross-reactive receptors for use in the detection of chemical and biological hazards. Additionally, Dr. Diehl performed research examining the effect of alkylation, protonation, and hydroxyl group substitution on reversible alcohol and water additions to pyridine derivatives. These reactions with pyridine derivatives were studied to aid development of a thermodynamically favorable, fast reaction for purposes of reversible covalent bonding.

Following her Ph.D. at University of Texas, Dr. Diehl began a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University in New Jersey. While there, she studied the effect on histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) on epigenetic gene control. Specifically, she showed how methylation of specific histone sites can lead to gene silencing and regulation. Once completing her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Diehl continued at Princeton as an Associate Research Scholar, during which she continued her research on histone modifications and PTMs.

After completing her Postdoctoral work in 2019, Dr. Diehl moved to the University of Utah in and became an Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry. Her lab at the University of Utah focuses on developing new tools to determine the mechanisms by which metabolism is linked to genetic regulation through post translational modification. Her lab has developed a genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor used to determine acetyl-CoA levels in live cells.

Awards and honors

 * 2016-2019: National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award.
 * 2014: Dorothy B. Banks Fellowship, University of Texas at Austin.