Rate My Professor Megan McEvoy

Megan McEvoy is a Professor in the Institute for Society and Genetics and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Oregon. Prior to joining UCLA, she held faculty positions at the University of Arizona. She joined the UCLA faculty in June 2016. In addition to her professorial roles, McEvoy serves as Co-Director of COMPASS Life Sciences and Co-Director of the MARC-U*STAR Program. She has also held leadership positions including Chair of the UCLA Academic Senate, Vice Chair/Chair-Elect of the Academic Senate, and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education in Life Sciences.

McEvoy’s research centers on how organisms handle metal ions, with a focus on bacterial metal ion homeostasis and responses to metals that function as biocides. Her laboratory employs multidisciplinary approaches to investigate metal ion discrimination, structural changes that control protein function, and organismal responses to metal ions. She is a member of the Molecular Biology Institute and participates in the Biochemistry, Biophysics & Structural Biology and Immunity, Microbes & Molecular Pathogenesis graduate programs. McEvoy has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on topics such as the Cus metal efflux system in Escherichia coli, copper and silver resistance mechanisms, and related structural biology, including papers in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Biological Chemistry, and Biochemistry. Her work contributes to understanding bacterial resistance to metals and potential applications in combating drug-resistant pathogens.