Stephanie C. Ems-McClung, PhD

Bio

Stephanie C. Ems-McClung, PhD, graduated from the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics with a Ph.D. at the Indiana School of Medicine in Indianapolis in 1998. She joined Dr. Claire Walczak’s lab in 2001 and was promoted to Associate Research Professor in 2022. Her research interests are in the biochemical mechanisms that regulate cytoskeletal dynamics and motor function as it relates to the processes of cell division. She applies diverse biochemical, biophysical, and structural approaches to answer fundamental questions about the regulation of motor protein function. She is also the Research Supervisor for Dr. Walczak’s laboratory and mentors both undergraduate and graduate students.

Key Publications

1. Ems-McClung SC, Hainline SG, Devare J, Zong H, Cai S, Carnes SK, Shaw SL and Walczak CE. Aurora B inhibits MCAK activity through a phospho-conformational switch that reduces microtubule association.  Curr. Biol. 23:2491-2499.
2. Ems-McClung SC, Emch M, Zhang S, Mahnoor S, Weaver LN, Walczak CE. 2020. RanGTP induces an effector gradient of XCTK2 and importin α/β for spindle microtubule cross-linking. J. Cell Bio. 219.