Professor van der Donk received his B.S. from Leiden University, the Netherlands, in 1989 and his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1994. He went on to do postdoctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and joined the faculty at Illinois in 1997. In 2008, he was appointed as an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

His research interests are in organic chemistry and chemical biology.

Arnison, P. et al.; van der Donk, W.A.* "Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-Translationally Modified Peptide Natural Products: Overview and Recommendations for a Universal Nomenclature" Nat. Prod. Rep. 2013, 30, 108-160.

Zhang, Q.; Yu, Y.; Vélasquez, J. E.; van der Donk, W. A.* "Evolution of Lantipeptide Synthetases" Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2012, 109, 18361-18366.

Shi, Y.: Bueno, A; van der Donk, W.A.* "Heterologous production of the lantibiotic Ala(0)actagardine in Escherichia coli" Chem. Comm.2012, 48, 10966-10968.

Thibodeaux, G.; van der Donk, W.A.* "An engineered lantipeptide synthetase serves as a general leader peptide-dependent kinase" ChemComm 2012, 48, 10615-10617.

Knerr, P.J.; Oman, T.J.; Garcia de Gonzalo, C.; Lupoli,T.J. Walker S.; van der Donk, W. A.* "Non-Proteinogenic Amino Acids in Lacticin 481 Analogues Result in More Potent Inhibition of Peptidoglycan Transglycosylation" ACS Chem. Biol. 2012, 7, 1791–1795. PMCID: PMC3501146

Zhang, Q.; van der Donk, W.A.* "Catalytic promiscuity of a bacterial α-N-methyltransferase" FEBS Lett. 2012, 588, 3391-3397. PMCID: PMC3462432

Wang, H.; van der Donk, W.A.* "Biosynthesis of the Class III Lantipeptide Catenulipeptin" ACS Chem. Biol. 2012, 7, 1529-1535. PMCID: PMC3448297

Knerr, P.J.; van der Donk, W. A. * "Chemical Synthesis and Biological Activity of Analogues of the Lantibiotic Epilancin 15X" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 7648-7651. PMCID: PMC3349288

Tang, W.; van der Donk, W. A. * “Structural characterization of selected prochlorosins - a novel class of lantipeptides produced by planktonic marine cyanobacteria” Biochemistry 2012, 51, 4271-4279. PMCID: PMC3361976

Garg, N.; Tang, W.; Goto, Y.; van der Donk, W.A.* “Lantibiotics from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2012, 109, 5241-5246. PMCID: PMC3325677

Oman, T.J.; Knerr, P.J.; Bindman, N.A.; Velásquez, J.E.; van der Donk, W.A.* “An Engineered Lantibiotic Synthetase That Does Not Require a Leader Peptide on Its Substrate” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 6952-6955.

Knerr, P.J.; van der Donk, W.A.* “Discovery, Biosynthesis and Engineering of Lantipeptides” Ann. Rev. Biochem. 2012, 81, 479-505.

Oman, T.O.; Lupoli, T.J.; Wang, T-S. A.; Kahne, D.; Walker, S.*; van der Donk, W.A.* “Haloduracin a Binds the Peptidoglycan Precursor Lipid II with 2:1 Stoichiometry” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 17544-17547. PMCID: PMC3206492

Wang, H.; van der Donk, W.A.* “Substrate selectivity of the S-glycosyltransferase from sublancin biosynthesis”J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 16394–16397. PMCID: PMC3191765

?kesli, A.; Cooper, L.E.; Fogle, E.J.; van der Donk, W.A.* “Nine Posttranslational Modifications During the Biosynthesis of Cinnamycin” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 13753–13760. PMCID: PMC3163434

Velasquez, J.E.; Zhang, X.; van der Donk, W.A.* “Biosynthesis of the Antimicrobial Peptide Epilancin 15X and its Unusual N-terminal Lactate Moiety” Chem. Biol. 2011, 18, 857-867. PMCID: PMC3161514

Knerr, P.J.; Tzekou, A.; Ricklin, D.; Qu, H.; van der Donk, W.A.*; Lambris, J.D.* "Synthesis and Activity of Thioether-containing Analogues of the Complement Inhibitor Compstatin" ACS Chem. Biol. 2011, 6, 753-760. PMCID: PMC3137721

Gut, I.M.; Blanke, S.R. *; van der Donk, W.A.* “Mechanism of Nisin Inhibition of Bacillus anthracis Spore Outgrowth” ACS Chem. Biol. 2011, 6, 744-752. PMCID: PMC3178273

Gut, I.M.; Tamilselvam, B.; Prouty, A.M.; Stojkovic, B.; Czeschin, S.; van der Donk, W.A.*; Blanke S.R.* “Bacillus anthracis spore interactions with mammalian cells: Relationship between germination state and the outcome of in vitro infections” BMC Microbiol. 2011, 11, 46.

Goto, Y.; Okesli, A.; van der Donk, W.A.* "Mechanistic studies of Ser/Thr dehydration catalyzed by a member of the LanL lanthionine synthetase family" Biochemistry 2011, 50, 891-898.