Dr. Sambuddha Banerjee

Teaching Assistant Professor,
General Chemistry

Office: SZ-409
Phone: 252-328-9804
E-mail: banerjees17@ecu.edu

  • University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada (2013-2015): Postdoctoral Research
  • Duke University, Durham, USA (2010-2013): Postdoctoral Research
  • Jadavpur University, Calcutta, India (2006-2010): Ph.D.
  • Presidency College, Calcutta University, Calcutta, India (2003-2005): M.Sc.
  • Maulana Azad College, Calcutta University, Calcutta, India (2000-2003): B. Sc.

Courses Taught

  • General Chemistry I, Chem 1150
  • General Chemistry I lab, Chem 1151
  • General Chemistry II, Chem 1160
  • General Chemistry II lab, Chem 1161
  • Biological Chemistry, Chem 2770
  • Biological Chemistry Lab, Chem 2771
  • Research Problems in Chemistry, Chem 4516

Research Interest

I am interested in exploring the role of transition metal ions in various biological systems, with an emphasis on protein-metal ions interactions. I am also interested in determining the electrochemical properties of proteins, containing redox active metal centers (Hemoglobin, myoglobin, Hemoglobin-haptoglobin complex etc.) using spectroelectrochemical technique. The Banerjee lab at ECU is working on a small molecule project and a protein project. The small molecule project is working on organic synthesis of siderophore-drug conjugates and their utilization in a Trojan Horse approach by multi-drug resistant bacteria. The protein project is working on characterizing the proposed Fet3p-Ftr1p type Fe2+ uptake system in Gram negative bacteria.

Bioinorganic chemistry: The Banerjee lab is interested in investigating the role the metal iron (a first-row transition metal) plays in infection and immunity. The irony of iron in life is that it is essential but extremely toxic. This has resulted in the evolution of highly sophisticated and interconnected iron regulatory pathways in all Kingdoms of life. In our lab we investigate iron regulation in the host-pathogen interface using various of biophysical methods (spectroscopy, calorimetry, electrochemistry). Our work is highly interdisciplinary and students working with me spend time in the Medical campus as well as in Chemistry. As a graduate teaching assistant professor, I am also invested in providing research opportunities to undergraduate students who are from minority, first-generation college students, LGBTQIA2S+ communities to increase representation of these students in STEM.

Science and feminism research: This is an interdisciplinary research area that uses critical race theory, queer theory, and other intersectional feminist theories to investigate science and how science is practiced in the context of the society and its history.

Study Abroad in Bolivia: 

The “City of Eternal Spring,” vibrant and sprawling across a valley in the Andes, full of cuisines to sample and causes to support. A growing, modern city—home to thousands of indigenous people. Cochabamba, Bolivia makes an impression that will not soon be forgotten.

This three-week community-based study abroad experience will be divided into two 3 credit courses. In one part, STEM/Chemistry students will take a reading-intensive course on science and feminism where they will be introduced to the social/political implications of STEM in society. The other 3 credit courses will be conducted by our partner organization, Amizade, which will create opportunities for students to work with local communities to learn the firsthand effects of the history of colonization in the Bolivian society.

Selected Publications

N Chanakira, J. Hall, A. Kerkan, S. Dasgupta, D. W. Martin, S. Banerjee.  2021, A Review on Bacterial Redox Dependent Iron Transporters and Their Evolutionary Relationship. J. Inorg. Biochem. (under review).

Banerjee, J. Hall, M. Anne Reyes, Y. H. Odeh, A. Garcia, A. Benton, A. Moffett, D. Bose, D. McCunny. Developing a class on feminism within Chemistry curriculum: A case study. (Under preparation)

Crumbliss, S. Banerjee. 2021, A perspective essay on the use of Ga3+ as a proxy for Fe3+ in bioinorganic model studies and its successful use for therapeutic purposes. J. Inorg. Biochem., 219, 111411.

Banerjee, R. J. Garrigues, M. N. Chanakira, J. J. Negron-Olivo, Y. H. Odeh, A. M. Spuches, R. M. Roop II, J. E. Pitzer, D. W. Martin, S. Dasgupta. 2020, Investigating the roles of the conserved Cu2+-binding residues on Brucella FtrA in producing conformational stability and functionality. J. Inorg. Biochem., 210, 11162.  

S. Paul, S. Banerjee, H. J. Vogel. 2016, Ligand binding specificity of the Escherichia coli periplasmic histidine binding protein, HisJ. Prot. Sci., 64, 268-279.

Banerjee, S. Paul, L. T. Nguyen, B. C. H. Chu, H. J. Vogel. 2016, FecB, a periplasmic ferric-citrate transporter from E. coli,can bind different forms of ferric-citrate as well as a wide variety of metal-free and metal-loaded tricarboxylic acids. Metallomics, 8, 125

Banerjee, A. J. Weerasinghe, C. J. P. Siburt, R. T. Kreulen, S. K. Armstrong, T. J. Brickman, L. A. Lambert, and A. L. Crumbliss. 2014, Bordetella pertussis FbpA binds both unchelated iron and iron-siderophore complexes. Biochemistry, 53, 3952-3960. 

L. Mollan, Y. Jia, S. Banerjee, G. Wu, R. T. Kreulen, A.-L. Tsai, J. S. Olson, A. L. Crumbliss, A. I. Alayash. 2014, Redox Properties of Human Hemoglobin in Complex with Fractionated Dimeric and Polymeric Human Haptoglobin. Free Radic. Biol. Med., 69, 265-277.

Nandy, S. Banerjee, C. Rizzoli, E. Zangrando, A. Nonat, L. J. Charbonniere, S. Mitra. 2013. Syntheses, structural diversity and photo-physical properties of copper (I) and sliver (I) coordination polymers based on the pyridine-4-amidoxime ligand. Polyhedron, 65, 252-261.

Bonaventura, R. Henkens, A. I. Abdu, S. Banerjee, A. L. Crumbliss.2013, Redox Reactions of Hemoglobin: Mechanism of Toxicity and Control. Antioxid.  Redox Sig.(Forum review article), 18, 2298-2313.

L. Mollan, S. Banerjee, G. Wu, C. J. P. Siburt, A. Tsi, J. S. Olson, M. J. Weiss, A. L. Crumbliss, A. I. Alayash.2013, Alpha-hemoglobin stabilizing protein (AHSP) markedly decreases the redox potential and reactivity of alpha subunits of human HbA with hydrogen peroxide. J. Biol. Chem., 288, 4288-4298.

Banerjee, C. J. Parker Siburt, S. Mistry, J. M. Noto,  P. DeArmond, M. C. Fitzgerald, L. A. Lambert, C. N. Cornelissen, A. L. Crumbliss. 2012, Evidence of Fe3+interaction with the plug domain of the outer membrane transferrin receptor protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae:  Implications for Fe transport. Metallomics, 4, 361-372.

Banerjee, C. J. P. Siburt, F. Wood, Y. Jia, C. Bonaventura, R. Henkens, A. L. Crumbliss, A. Abdu.2012, Haptoglobin Alters Oxygenation and Oxidation of Hemoglobin and Decreases Propagation of Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Reaction. Free Radic. Biol. Med., 53, 1317-1326. 

Tran, S. Banerjee, A. L. Crumbliss, M. Fitzgerald. 2012, Slow Histidine H/D Exchange Protocol for Thermodynamic Analysis of Protein Folding and Stability using Mass Spectrometry. Anal. Chem., 84, 1653-1660.

Banerjee, M. Nandy, S. Sen, S. Mandal, G. M. Rosair, A. M. Z. Slawin, C. J. G. García, J. M. Clemente-Juan, E. Zangrando, N. Guidolin, S. Mitra.2011, Isolation of Four New CoII/CoIIIand NiII Complexes with a Pentadentate Schiff Base Ligand: Syntheses, Structural Descriptions and Magnetic Studies. Dalton Trans., 40, 1652-1661. 

Banerjee, S.Sen, J. Chakraborty, R. J. Butcher, C. J. Gómez García, R. Puchta,  S. Mitra.2009, A ‘Butterfly’-shaped Water Tetramer in a Cu4Complex Supported by a Hydrazone Ligand: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Magnetic Properties, and Quantum Chemical Study. Australian J. Chem., 62, 1614-1621.   

Banerjee, S. Mondal, S. Sen, S. Das, D. L. Hughes, C. Rizzoli, C. Desplanches, C. Mandal, S. Mitra. 2009, Four New Dinuclear Cu(II) Hydrazone Complexes Using Various Organic Spacers: Syntheses, Crystal Structures, DNA Binding and Cleavage Studies and Selective Cell Inhibitory Effect Towards Leukemic and Normal Lymphocytes. Dalton Trans., 6849-6860. 

Banerjee, S. Mondal, W. Chakraborty, S. Sen, R. Gachhui, R. J. Butcher , A. M. Z. Slawin, C. Mandal, S. Mitra.2009, Syntheses, X-ray crystal structures, DNA binding, oxidative cleavage activities and antimicrobial studies of two Cu (II) hydrazone complexes. Polyhedron, 28, 2785-2793.

Banerjee, S. Sen, S. Mitra, C. Rizzoli, G. M. Rosair. 2008, Synthesis and structural characterization of a novel dinuclear complex compound formed by the aerial oxidation of cobalt(II) having an interligand C-C s-bond. Dalton Trans., 1783-1786.

Banerjee, S. Sen, S. Basak, S. Mitra, D. L. Hughes, C. Desplanches. 2008, Two new pseudohalide-bridged Cu(II) complexes with a hydrazone ligand : Syntheses,  crystal structures and magnetic studies. Inorg. Chim. Acta, 361, 2707-2714. 

Banerjee, A. Ray,S. Sen, S. Mitra, D. L. Hughes, R. J. Butcher,  S. R. Batten, D.R. Turner. 2008, Pseudohalide-induced structural variations in hydrazone-based metal complexes: Syntheses, electrochemical study and structural aspects. Inorg. Chim. Acta, 361, 2692-2700. 

Ray, S. Banerjee, R. J. Butcher, C. Desplanches, Samiran Mitra. 2008.  Two new end-on azido bridged dinuclear copper(II) and cobalt(III) complexes derived from the (E)-N0-((pyridin-2-yl)methylene) acetohydrazide Schiff base ligand: Characterisation, crystal structures and magnetic study. Plolyhedron, 27, 2409–2415.

S. Basak, S. Sen, S. Banerjee, S. Mitra, G.  Rosair, M. T. G. Rodriguez. 2007. Three new psuedohalide bridged Zn (II) Schiff base complexes: synthesis, crystal structures and fluorescence studies. Polyhedron, 26, 5104-5112.

Ray, S. Banerjee, G. M. Rosair, V. Gramlich, S. Mitra. 2008. Variation in coordinative property of two different N2O2 donor Schiff base ligands with nickel(II) and cobalt(III) ions: characterisation and single crystal structure elucidation. Struct. Chem., 19, 459-465.

Ray, S. Banerjee, S. Sen, R. J. Butcher, G. M. Rosair, M. T. Garland, S. Mitra. 2008. Two Zn(II) and one Mn(II) complexes using two different hydrazone ligands: spectroscopic studies and structural aspects. Struct. Chem., 19, 209-217.

Invited Presentations

  • “Beyond boring chemistry class lectures,” an interactive lecture delivered to junior scholars of Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS), June 10th, 2016.
  • “Irony of iron,” a lecture delivered to students, scholars and faculty of department of chemistry, Jadavpur University, October 2012.