Flora Meilleur
About Flora Meilleur
Flora Meilleur is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry at North Carolina State University and an IMAGINE/MaNDI Instrument Scientist. Her research focuses on cytochrome P450s and enzymatic degradation mechanisms, particularly in relation to biofuel production.
Current Position at North Carolina State University
Flora Meilleur serves as an Associate Professor in the Biochemistry department at North Carolina State University. Additionally, she holds the position of IMAGINE/MaNDI Instrument Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She has been in this role since 2015, contributing to both academic and research initiatives in biochemistry.
Previous Experience at EMBL and Institut Laue Langevin
Flora Meilleur worked as a Ph.D. student at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) from 2000 to 2004. Following this, she served as an Instrument Scientist at the Institut Laue Langevin from 2004 to 2006. These roles provided her with foundational experience in biochemistry and instrument science.
Assistant Professor Role and Research Focus
From 2007 to 2015, Flora Meilleur was an Assistant Professor in Biochemistry at North Carolina State University and served as the IMAGINE Lead Instrument Scientist. During this period, she focused on research involving cytochrome P450s, particularly cytochrome P450cam (CYP101) from Pseudomonas putida, and studied the structures and degradation mechanisms of various enzymes.
Educational Background in Structural Biology
Flora Meilleur completed her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Physics at Université Joseph Fourier from 1995 to 1999. She then pursued a Master of Science in Structural Biology at the same institution from 1999 to 2000, followed by a Ph.D. in Structural Biology from 2000 to 2004. This educational background underpins her expertise in biochemistry and structural analysis.
Research Techniques and Laboratory Focus
Flora Meilleur employs a combination of X-ray and neutron diffraction and scattering techniques in her research. Her laboratory focuses on understanding the enzymatic degradation of cellulose, which is crucial for biofuel production. She utilizes neutron protein crystallography to investigate the hydrogen shuttle pathway in the P450cam enzymatic mechanism.