Rate My Professor Sam Jamieson

Sam Jamieson is an Assistant Research Fellow in the Mace Group, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences Division, University of Otago. Previously a senior technician managing the prep room, he now oversees the department's structural biology resources. Of Māori descent, Jamieson has been pivotal in developing and implementing innovative analytical techniques for protein structure analysis, including experiments at the Australian Synchrotron. His contributions have supported high-impact research in protein signaling and have extended to practical applications such as purifying enzymes for COVID-19 PCR testing during the pandemic and contributing to protein engineering for nanotechnology projects aimed at improving crop resilience.

Jamieson's research specializes in the structural biology of pseudokinases, membrane transporters, and ubiquitin-related complexes, employing X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. He is first author on several influential papers, including 'Substrate binding allosterically relieves autoinhibition of the pseudokinase TRIB1' (Science Signaling, 2018; 75 citations), which reveals the activation mechanism of TRIB1 relevant to cancer signaling, and 'Nanobodies identify an activated state of the TRIB2 pseudokinase' (Structure, 2022; 11 citations). Other key publications co-authored by Jamieson encompass 'Molecular mechanism of CCAAT-enhancer binding protein recruitment by the TRIB1 pseudokinase' (Structure, 2015; 134 citations), 'Structural basis of autoregulatory scaffolding by apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1' (PNAS, 2017; 52 citations), 'Structure and mechanism of a tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic TRAP transporter' (Nature Communications, 2023; 25 citations), 'Structural Basis for the Inhibitor and Substrate Specificity of the Unique Fph Serine Hydrolases of Staphylococcus aureus' (ACS Infectious Diseases, 2020; 22 citations), 'DET1 dynamics underlie cooperative ubiquitination by CRL4DET1-COP1 complexes' (Science Advances, 2025; 4 citations), and 'Structural basis of isethionate transport by a TRAP transporter from a sulfate-reducing bacterium' (Structure, 2026). Jamieson has received Research Support awards from the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, recognizing his outstanding contributions to research infrastructure and collaboration.