Benjamin Robert Clar
School
School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology
Professional Title
Associate professor
Contact Information
022-27404021
bclark@tju.edu.cn
Room 505, Building 24, Tianjin University
Education Background
- Ph. D. Chemistry | Brisbane, Australia| 2019
- B.Sc. Chemistry and Biochemistry| Victoria University of Wellington, NZ| Chemistry and Biochemistry| 2019
Research Interests
- While microbes are the primary focus of the group we also have experience working with plants and marine organisms if there are particularly interesting ecological questions to be addressed in these areas.
- The group uses metabolic profiling and multivariate statistical techniques in all of these research avenues in order to classify samples, identify active components, and elucidate the interactions of molecules and organisms.
- We also investigate chemical ecology: what role the metabolites serve for the microbe itself, and how are they involved in the interaction of microbes with other organisms.
- Microbes have long been a source of potent antimicrobial and anticancer agents, and we have a particular interest in marine and extremophilic microbes as a source of new drug leads.
- Research in the Clark group focuses on microbial natural products as applied to drug discovery, metabolomics, and chemical ecology.
Positions & Employments
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2019.12-2019.12
 UC San Diego, USA | Postdoctoral Researcher  -
2019.12-2019.12
 University College Dublin, Ireland | Postdoctoral Researcher  -
2019.12-2019.12
 University of Hawai’i at Hilo, USA | Postdoctoral Researcher 
Academic Achievements
- Books
- [1] Clark, Benjamin R.; Engene, Niclas; Teasdale, Margaret E.; Rowley, David C.; Matainaho, Teatulohi; Valeriote, Frederick A.; Gerwick, William H. Natural products chemistry and taxonomy of the marine cyanobacterium Blennothrix cantharidosmum. J. Nat. Prod. 2008, 71, 1530-1537.
- [2] Clark, Benjamin R.; Murphy, Cormac D. Biosynthesis of pyrrolylpolyenes in Auxarthron umbrinum. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2009, 7, 111-116.
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- [3] Fukuda, Takashi; Miller, Eric D.; Clark, Benjamin R.; Alnauman, Ali; Murphy, Cormac D.; Jensen, Paul R.; Fenical, William. Structures and biosynthesis of the pyridinopyrones, new polyenepyrones from a marine-derived Streptomyces strain. J. Nat. Prod. 2011, 74, 1773–1778.
- [4] Clark, Benjamin R.; O’Connor, Stephen; Fox, Deirdre; Leroy, Jacques; Murphy, Cormac D. Production of anticancer polyenes through precursor-directed biosynthesis. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2011, 9, 6306-6311.
- [5] Clark, Benjamin R.; Bliss, Barbara J.; Suzuki, Jon Y.; Borris, Robert P. Chemotaxonomy of Hawaiian Anthurium cultivars based on multivariate analysis of phenolic metabolites. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2014, 62, 11323-11334.
- Honors & Awards
- [1] Embark Postdoctoral Fellowship - Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (2007-2009)
- [2] President’s Award: Travel Grant – University College Dublin (2008)
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- [3] Embark Postdoctoral Fellowship - Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (2007-2009)
- [4] President’s Award: Travel Grant – University College Dublin (2008)
- [5] Embark Postdoctoral Fellowship - Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (2007-2009)
- [6] President’s Award: Travel Grant – University College Dublin (2008)