Jennifer Brown BSc(Hons), BEd, PhD
Assistant Professor of Teaching
(She, Her, Hers)
Dr. Jennifer Brown (She, Her, Hers) obtained her BSc (Hons) in biochemistry and molecular biology from Trent University and her BEd from Queen’s University. She completed her PhD in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC with Dr. Adam Frankel, where her research focused on elucidating the mechanisms of protein arginine N-methyltransferases and their implications in biological pathways. During her postdoctoral training with Dr. Brent Page within the Faculty, she brought biochemistry and biological expertise to exploring the anti-cancer activities of novel dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors.
Dr. Brown is a dedicated and passionate science educator whose work is grounded in student-centered teaching, educational leadership, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She teaches in the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences program, with a focus on molecular biology, laboratory education, and science communication. Her teaching emphasizes active learning, inclusive pedagogy, formative feedback, and the development of transferable skills that prepare students for their future careers in industry, government, or academia. Her scholarly interests include creative and accessible approaches to science education, learning-theory-informed communication instruction, and the development and evaluation of innovative teaching strategies. Dr. Brown’s career goal is to use her scientific knowledge, training and practice in education, and educational leadership experience to inspire and empower the next generation of scientists and educators.
Undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and others who are passionate about education are encouraged to reach out if they want to explore an education-focused research question or want to chat about teaching and learning. Dr. Brown is currently open to and seeking collaborations on a number of projects.
Jennifer I. Brown, Rosanne Persaud, Petar Iliev, Ujjwala Karmacharya, Sanaz Attarha, Henok Sahile, Jonas E. Olsen, Danielle Hanke, Temilou Idowu, David A. Frank, Adam Frankel, Karla C. Williams, Brent D.G. Page. (2023). Investigating the anti-cancer potential of pyrimethamine analogues through a modern chemical biology lens. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 264:115971. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115971
Jennifer I. Brown, Peng Wang, Alan Y.L. Wong, Boryana Petrova, Rosanne Persaud, Sepideh Soukhtehzari, Melanie Lopez McDonald, Danielle Hanke, Josephine Christensen, Petar Iliev, Weiyuan Wang, Daniel K. Everton, Karla C. Williams, David A. Frank, Naama Kanarek, Brent D.G. Page. (2023). Cycloguanil and analogues potently target DHFR in cancer cells to elicit anti-cancer activity. Metabolites. 13(2):151. doi: 10.3390/metabo13020151
Jennifer I. Brown, Jenah Alibhai, Erica Zhu, Adam Frankel. (2023). Methylarginine efflux in nutrient-deprived yeast mitigates disruption of nitric oxide synthesis. Amino Acids. 55(2):215–233. doi: 10.1007/s00726-022-03220-x
Anne Nguyen, Po-Han Chao, Chun Yat Ong, Elham Rouhollahi, Nojoud Al Fayez, Louis Lin, Jennifer I. Brown, Roland Böttger, Brent Page, Harvey Wong, Shyh-Dar Li. (2022). Chemically engineering the drug release rate of a PEG-paclitaxel conjugate using click and steric hindrance chemistries for optimal efficacy. Biomaterials. 289:121735. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121735
Nojoud Al Fayez, Roland Böttger, Jennifer Brown, Elham Rouhollahi, Shyh-Dar Li. (2022). The mechanism of Hepatocyte-Targeting and safety profile of Phospholipid-Free small unilamellar vesicles. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 628:122269. doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122269
Lisa N. Heppler, Sanaz Attarha, Rosanne Persaud, Jennifer I. Brown, Peng Wang, Boryana Petrova, Isidora Tošić, Foster B. Burton, Yael Flamand, Sarah R. Walker, Jennifer E. Yeh, Roman A. Zubarev, Massimiliano Gaetani, Naama Kanarek, Brent D.G. Page, David A. Frank. (2022). Pyrimethamine inhibits STAT3 transcriptional activity via dihydrofolate reductase. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 298(2):101531. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101531
Alexandre Couto e Silva, Celeste Yin-Chieh Wu, Garrett A. Clemons, Christina H. Acosta, Chuck T. Chen, HarLee E. Possoit, Cristiane T. Citadin, Reggie Hui-Chao Lee, Jennifer I. Brown, Adam Frankel, Hung Wen Lin. (2021). Protein arginine methyltransferase 8 can modulate mitochondrial bioenergetics and neuroinflammation after hypoxic stress. Journal of Neurochemistry. 159(4):742–761. doi: 10.1111/jnc.15462
Jennifer I. Brown, Brent D. G. Page, Adam Frankel. (2020). The application of differential scanning fluorimetry in exploring bisubstrate binding to protein arginine N-methyltransferase 1. Methods. 175: 10–23. doi: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2019.11.004 (Cover Feature)
Adam Frankel, Jennifer I. Brown. (2019). Evaluation of kinetic data: what the numbers tell us about PRMTs. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Proteins and Proteomics. 1867(3): 306–316. doi: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2018.10.010
Jennifer I. Brown, Timo Koopmans, Jolinde van Strien, Nathaniel I. Martin, Adam Frankel. (2018). Kinetic analysis of PRMT1 reveals multifactorial processivity and a sequential ordered mechanism. ChemBioChem. 19(1): 85-90. doi:10.1002/cbic.201700521 (Cover Feature and advertised as “Very Important Paper”)
Contact Details
Office 3512, Pharmaceutical Sciences Building