Towle-Weicksel s research lab My undergraduates are involved in all levels of my research, from generating ideas and hypotheses to carrying out experiments and interpreting the data, says Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Jamie Towle-Weicksel. Towle-Weicksel s research work focuses on specialized proteins that work to protect our DNA from environmental damage. Specificially, we are studying a protein known as DNA polymerase theta, which specializes in repairing DNA damage caused by UV light, she says. By understanding how this protein works, we hope to gain a better understanding of how the body repairs DNA damage and what happens when things go wrong.