Benjamin Clark——Associate Professor
Nationality:
New Zealand
Phone:
022-27404021
Email:
bclark@tju.edu.cn
Office:
Room 512-5, Building 24, Tianjin University
School:
School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology
ResearcherID:
M-5570-2015
Group weblink
Education Experience
2001-2006 Ph. D. Chemistry Brisbane, Australia
1997-2000 B.Sc. Chemistry and Biochemistry Victoria University of Wellington, NZ
Professional Experience
2006-2007 Postdoctoral Researcher UC San Diego, USA
2007-2010 Postdoctoral Researcher University College Dublin, Ireland
2011-2015 Postdoctoral Researcher University of Hawai’i at Hilo, USA
Research Area

Research in the Clark group focuses on microbial natural products as applied to drug discovery, metabolomics, and chemical ecology. Microbes have long been a source of potent antimicrobial and anticancer agents, and we have a particular interest in marine and extremophilic microbes as a source of new drug leads. We also investigate chemical ecology: what role the metabolites serve for the microbe itself, and how are they involved in the interaction of microbes with other organisms. The group uses molecular networking and multivariate statistical techniques in all of these research avenues in order to classify samples, identify active components, and elucidate the interactions of molecules and organisms. While microbes are the primary focus of the group we also have experience working with plants and marine organisms, if there are particularly interesting ecological questions to be addressed in these areas. 
Honors and Awards
Embark Postdoctoral Fellowship - Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (2007-2009)
President’s Award: Travel Grant – University College Dublin (2008)
Research Fund for International Young Scientists - NSFC (2018-2020)
Patents
Highlighted Publications
Xueling Liu; Yali Wang; Diana Zaleta-Pinet; Robert P. Borris; Benjamin R. Clark. Antibacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activity of Pyrones from a Pseudomonas mosselii Strain. Antibiotics (Basel). 2022, 11, 1655.
Ya Lu; Xueling Liu; Rowaa Lotfy; Sijie Liu; Abel F. Tesfa; Gerhard Wolber; Matthias Bureik; Benjamin R. Clark. Experimental and Computational Studies on the Biotransformation of Pseudopyronines with Human Cytochrome P450 CYP4F2. J. Nat. Prod. 2022, 85, 2603–2609.
Liu, Xueling; Dong, Yuyu; Alizade, Valida; Khutsishvili, Manana; Atha, Daniel; Borris, Robert P.; Clark, Benjamin R. Molecular networking-driven isolation of 8′-Glycosylated biscoumarins from Cruciata articulata. Phytochemistry, 2021, 190, 112856.
Liu, Xueling; Wang, Yali; Alizade, Valida; Khutsishvili, Manana; Atha, Daniel; Borris, Robert P.; Clark, Benjamin R. Cruciasides C-G, monoterpenoid glycosides from Cruciata articulata. Phytochemistry, 189, 112821.
Lin, Min; Adpressa, Donovon A.; Feng, Meiyu; Lu, Ya; Clark, Benjamin R. Brevianthrones, bianthrones from a Chinese isolate of the endophytic fungus Colletotrichum brevisporum. Phytochemistry, 2021, 188, 112792.
Wei, Guixiang; Zaleta-Pinet, Diana, A.; Clark, Benjamin R. Production and MS-MS analysis of new fluorinated surfactins from a Chinese Bacillus subtilis isolate. J. Fluor. Chem. 2021, 245, 109761.
Liu, Xueling; Atha, Daniel; Clark, Benjamin R.; Borris, Robert P. Feruloyl sucrose derivatives from the root of Xerophyllum tenax. Phytochemistry, 2021, 185, 112703.
Li, Jianye; Shi, Yue; Clark, Benjamin R. Semi-synthesis of antibacterial dialkylresorcinol derivatives. J. Antibiot. 2021, 74, 70-75.
Saalim, Muhammad; Villegas-Moreno, Jessica; Clark, Benjamin R. Bacterial Alkyl-4-quinolones: Discovery, Structural Diversity and Biological Properties. Molecules. 2020, 25, 5689.
Li, Jianye and Clark, Benjamin R. Synthesis of Natural and Unnatural Quinolones Inhibiting the Growth and Motility of Bacteria. J. Nat. Prod. 2020, 83, 3181–3190.
Li, Jianye; Sun, Weiwei; Saalim, Muhammad; Wei, Guixiang; Zaleta-Pinet, Diana A.; Clark, Benjamin R. Isolation of 2-Alkyl-4-quinolones with Unusual Side Chains from a Chinese Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolate. J. Nat. Prod. 2020, 83, 2294–2298.
Yue, Shi; Zaleta-Pinet, Diana; Clark, Benjamin R. Isolation, Identification, and Decomposition of Antibacterial Dialkylresorcinols from a Chinese Pseudomonas aurantiaca Strain. J. Nat. Prod. 2020, 83, 194-201.
Sun, Weiwei; Wu, Wenhui; Liu, Xueling; Zaleta-Pinet, Diana A.; Clark, Benjamin R. Bioactive Compounds Isolated from Marine-Derived Microbes in China: 2009–2018. Marine Drugs. 2019, 17, 339.