Professor Brandt Eichman

Dr Eichman is a Professor of Biological Sciences and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee USA).

Research in Professor Eichman’s laboratory seeks to understand how the integrity of the genetic information encoded within our DNA is preserved. The Eichman lab determines atomic structures of enzymes that repair damaged DNA and that duplicate DNA molecules during the process of cellular replication. Specific research projects are focused on initiation of DNA synthesis during replication, repair and restart of stalled replication machinery, base excision repair of interstrand DNA crosslinks, and DNA repair as a bacterial self-resistance mechanism against genotoxic antibiotics. The importance of gaining a fundamental understanding of these processes is underscored by the fact that dysfunction of these enzymes leads to genomic instability and heritable diseases, and in some cases may be exploited in the treatment of those diseases.

Originally trained as a synthetic organic chemist at the University of Mississippi (B.S., Chemistry, 1993), Professor Eichman received his PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics in 2000 from Oregon State University. As a graduate student, he studied the effects of nucleotide sequence and DNA-binding drugs on DNA structure and determined the landmark X-ray crystal structure of the Holliday junction, the four-stranded DNA intermediate formed during genetic recombination. As a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow with Tom Ellenberger at Harvard Medical School, he studied the atomic structures and functions of DNA repair and replication enzymes. Professor Eichman joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2004. From 2016-2019, Professor Eichman served as the founding co-Director of Vanderbilt’s first undergraduate program in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology, and from 2019-2025 served as the Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. Professor Eichman teaches introductory and advanced undergraduate and graduate biochemistry courses throughout the academic year.

At Clare Hall, Professor Eichman is accompanied by his wife, Jessica Eichman, an artist, pilgrim, and yoga instructor. Jessica is currently studying to lead earth-honoring reconnection experiences for individuals and groups using ritual and elemental place-based practices.