Matthew Schaich, PhD

Professional Background

Dr. Schaich obtained his PhD at the University of Kansas Medical Center in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Supported by the Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship, he used structural biology and enzyme kinetics to better understand how telomerase reverse transcriptase faithfully extends telomeres. Dr. Schaich then moved to the University of Pittsburgh to pursue an interest in single-molecule studies. He was supported by several postdoctoral fellowships throughout this phase, and developed a new single-molecule method that allowed groups to obtain deep biophysical impacts on DNA binding factors without the need to purify proteins. Another major focus during the postdoctoral phase was gaining an understanding of how the DNA repair protein poly-ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) identifies single-strand breaks in the context of nucleosomes and how cancer therapeutics currently in the clinic change how it engages DNA damage. In Fall 2026, Dr. Schaich started an assistant professor position at the University of Kansas Medical Center to apply both structural and single-molecule techniques to better understand how DNA is demethylated at the proper position and time.​​

Research

Overview

The Schaich lab is focused on understanding how DNA methylation patterns are altered at the correct genomic positions at the correct time, particularly in the context of chromatin where the nucleotides that need to be accessed are wrapped within nucleosomes. These mechanistic questions are addressed with a combination of structural, single-molecule biophysics, live-cell imaging, and bulk enzymology approaches.