Ieronymos-Jerome Zoidakis Ph.D.’04

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Jerome Zoidakis came to UCLA from the University of Liege, Belgium and will graduate this summer with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

At UCLA, Jerome conducted research on enzyme mechanisms and stability to develop a novel therapeutic approach to the metabolic disease Phenylketonuria, which can result in significant brain damage.

Jerome is responsible for the training of new teaching assistants for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He has organized and led a workshop entitled "The California Classroom," a full day event attended by international teaching assistants without prior teaching experience.

Not only has Jerome been recognized as a distinguished graduate teacher and leader in the department, last spring he was selected to teach his own course "The Applications of Enzymes."

He was honored with the Chemistry Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000 for an attitude that makes Chemistry seem fun even when you know that some of it really is not that fun.

Jerome is asked to entertain and enlighten prospective Ph.D. students who visit UCLA. He has not only taken prospective students to a Greek restaurant, he has given them Greek dancing lessons.

Ask him how he is, and Jerome will inevitably answer, "Life is beautiful."

"An excellent researcher, a most dedicated and inspired teaching assistant, and an all-round fantastic presence amongst us. Anyone who meets Jerome and spends more than a minute with him appreciates his spectacularly original and effusive personality."
William M. Gelbart, Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

"Jerome is the frickin' bomb."
Anonymous student TA evaluation