Zane Taylor
2020/2021 Inductee
Zane W. Taylor is the son of Doug and Cheryl Taylor of Union City. Zane is a 2011 graduate and Salutatorian of Union City Area High School.
Zane was involved in numerous activities while at Union City. He was a member of the National Honor Society and the Student Council. He was a member of the Varsity Swimming Team. He was Treasurer of the team for many years and served as the team Captain in his senior year. Zane’s favorite event was the 500 Freestyle. He was also a lifeguard at the community pool for several years, where he also helped teach swim lessons to the younger students in the summer.
Following his high school graduation Zane attended Mercyhurst University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 2015. During his time at Mercyhurst, he served on the student government for two years. He was awarded the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Award his senior year. Zane also participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates at Texas A & M University, where he spent ten weeks in the laboratory of Dr. Jean-Phillipe Pellois, learning how to express and purify human transcription factors.
Zane was a Graduate Research Assistant at Texas A & M University from August 2015 to July 2020.
In 2020, Zane earned his doctorate in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Texas A&M University. As a member of the Dr. Frank M. Raushel lab, Zane focused his time and efforts characterizing enzymes of unknown function related to pathogenic bacteria Campylobacter jejuni.
He published five first-author publications detailing the chemical reactions catalyzed by four enzymes. These enzymes are glutamine kinase, phosphoglutamine cytidylyltransferase, y-glutamyl-CDP-amidate hydrolase and cytidine. Together these enzymes are responsible for the formation of a unique decoration found on the surface of C.jejuni that aids in this bacteria’s ability to invade to invade their host.
In addition to his work characterizing enzymes, Zane mentored several junior graduate students and undergraduate researchers as well. In 2018, Zane was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Graduate Student Research. This is the highest award a graduate student can receive from the College of Agriculture at Texas A & M University.
Zane has also been a speaker at several conferences, and he placed third in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department Research Competition.
Currently Zane lives in Washington State, where he is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as a member of the Integrative Omics group. He is involved in several project areas including toxicology, lung health and development, and exercise health.
