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Molecular Biophysics Program |
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Graduate Student Coordinator: Melissa Torres
Molecular Biophysics Faculty Director: Nathan Baker
Molecular Biophysics Program Website
Molecular Biophysics Program Guidelines
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Molecular Biophysics brings together elements of biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics to describe and understand biological processes. It is a fusion of two scientific cultures: The systems and processes of biochemistry and molecular biology are joined with the principles and quantitative laws of physical chemistry. The goal is to develop a quantitative and predictive understanding of biology at a detailed molecular level.
An important feature of the Program in Molecular Biophysics is its emphasis on multidisciplinary, interactive approaches to the study of biological systems. Communication and collaboration among investigators with diverse interests is fundamental to defining the interesting questions and developing the systems which make biophysics a unique synthesis of disciplines. At Washington University, the Program brings together scientists who share the biophysicist's goal of understanding biological processes, yet who work on systems which range from single molecules to whole cells.
The Program in Molecular Biophysics, established in 1990, seeks to train students who understand biological processes and who can take advantage of the sophisticated physical techniques necessary to probe those processes at a detailed molecular level.
Research projects include: Macromolecular Crystallography, Single Molecule Imaging and Dynamics, NMR of Biological Systems, Protein Structure and Folding, Nucleic Acid:Protein Interactions, Cellular Dynamics, Protein Design and Thermodynamics of Macromolecules.
Physical facilities are equipped for X-ray crystallography, with an area detector facility; molecular modeling facilities, with Silicon Graphics computers; femtosecond laser spectroscopy; fluorescence microscopy; nuclear magnetic resonance (magnetic resonance imaging, high resolution NMR, solid state magnetic resonance); microcalorimetry; analytical ultracentrifugation; and stopped-flow instrumentation.
For information regarding career paths and complete program guidelines, click here.
Program of Study
The multidisciplinary nature of biophysics attracts students with diverse backgrounds. To develop an appropriate curriculum, each student meets at the beginning of the first year with a faculty advisory committee to select courses and to discuss laboratory rotations. These meetings continue on a regular basis until a thesis laboratory is chosen. Molecular Biophysics students are expected to take four to six courses in the first year. These courses may be from within the Molecular Biophysics Program, as well as other Programs or departments. All students in the Program are required to take the following two Program courses:
and to choose from the following courses:
or another course upon approval of the steering committee.
In addition, students must complete an Advanced Topics course, which is chosen from those offered throughout the University, including ones that are offered by the Program as demand dictates (e.g. NMR of Biomolecules, Computational Biochemistry). Remaining courses are chosen according to interest.
These courses are offered through the departments of Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics as well as through the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences.
Typically, first-year students participate in three laboratory rotations. To evaluate basic knowledge and comprehension in both biological and physical sciences, a preliminary exam is given at the end of the second year.
For more information about the Molecular Biophysics Program, click here for an additional web site.
Molecular Biophysics Program Faculty |
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| Joseph J.H. Ackerman, Ph.D. - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging of intact functioning biological systems. |
| Nathan A. Baker, Ph.D. - The use of theoretical and computational methods to study the physical phenomena underlying the behavior of biological systems. |
| Robert E. Blankenship, Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms of energy storage in photosynthetic systems. |
| George J. Broze, Jr., M.D. - Regulation of coagulation. |
| Anders E. Carlsson, Ph.D. - Simulation and theory of actin polymerization processes. |
| Peter T. Chivers, Ph.D. - Protein structure/function and genetics of trace metal regulation. |
| Jianmin Cui, Ph.D. - Ion channels in physiology and disease, channel structure-function relationship, electrophysiology, molecular biology and biochemistry. |
| Ram Dixit, Ph.D. - Molecular mechanisms of cytoskeleton organization and function |
| Tom Ellenberger, D.V.M., Ph.D. - Structural biology and biochemistry of DNA repair, replication and recombination; chromosome maintenance. |
| Elliot L. Elson, Ph.D. - Mechanical properties of reconstituted tissues. Fluctuation spectroscopy of protein interactions. |
| Alex S. Evers, M.D. - Molecular mechanisms of anesthetic action. |
| Daved H. Fremont, Ph.D. - Structural aspects of the immune response studied by x-ray crystallography. |
| Carl Frieden, Ph.D. - |
| Gregory A. Grant, Ph.D. - Relationship of structure to function in allosteric control mechanisms. |
| Richard W. Gross, M.D., Ph.D. - The molecular mechanisms through which biologic membranes participate in cellular activation processes. |
| Michael L. Gross, Ph.D. - Development and application of mass spectrometry in proteomics, biochemistry, and medicine. |
| Kathleen B. Hall, Ph.D. - We study the interactions between RNA and its binding proteins. |
| James J. Havranek, Ph.D. - |
| Katherine A. Henzler-Wildman, Ph.D. - |
| J. Dewey Holten, Ph.D. - Biophysics and time-resolved studies of photosynthesis, molecular imaging, photodynamic therapy, and solar-energy conversion |
| James "Jim" E. Huettner, Ph.D. - Glutamate receptors, synaptic transmission and stem cell differentiation. |
| Sandor J. Kovacs, Jr., Ph.D., M.D. - Quantitative cardiovascular physiology, mathematical modeling of systems physiology, imaging. |
| Gregory M. Lanza, M.D., Ph.D. - |
| Christopher J. Lingle, Ph.D. - Structure-function studies of Slo family K+ channels. |
| Timothy M. Lohman, Ph.D. - Mechanisms of DNA helicases and SSB proteins. |
| Philip W. Majerus, M.D. - Mechanisms of intracellular signalling through phosphorylation of inositols and proteins. |
| Garland R. Marshall, Ph.D. - Molecular recognition is the key to drug design and peptide conformation. |
| Joshua A. Maurer, Ph.D. - Chemical methods to understand problems in neurobiology and develop biosensors. |
| Robert W. Mercer, Ph.D. - Molecular and cell biology of ion pumps and transporters in plasma membrane; cell polarity. |
| James G. Miller, Ph.D. - Ultrasonic investigation of the viscoelastic properties of cardiovascular tissue. |
| Rohit V. Pappu, Ph.D. - Biophysical studies of protein denatured states, intrinsically disordered proteins, amyloid formation, RNA-protein interactions, and nanoscale self-assembly of charged peptides. |
| Jay W. Ponder, Ph.D. - Computational chemistry, protein engineering, theoretical protein structure and folding. |
| Yoram Rudy, Ph.D., F.A.H.A., F.H.R.S. - Our laboratory studies the mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death using multi-scale computational biology approach (computer simulations) and cardiac imaging. Simulations are conducted at various scales, from the molecular structure of ion channel proteins to the whole cell and multicellular cardic tissue. |
| Jacob Schaefer, Ph.D. - Using NMR to characterize structure and dynamics at single, specific sites in proteins. |
| Paul Schlesinger, M.D., Ph.D. - Intracellular ion transport, chloride, protons, mitochondrial channels, phagosome, parasites. |
| David Sept, Ph.D. - Protein-protein and protein-drug interactions. |
| Jin-Yu Shao, Ph.D. - |
| Thomas J. Smith, Ph.D. - Use of x-ray crystallography to study viruses, toxins and enzymes. |
| Joseph Henry Steinbach, Ph.D. - Function and regulation of transmitter-gated membrane channels. |
| Gary D. Stormo, Ph.D. - Computational biology, bioinformatics, protein-DNA interactions, RNA structure prediction, gene regulation. |
| John-Stephen A. Taylor, Ph.D. - Structure-activity relationships in UV mutagenesis. Designing chemotherapeutic and imaging agents. |
| Yan Mei Wang, Ph.D. - Single-molecule fluorescence imaging studies of biomolecular mechanisms. |
| Younan Xia, Ph.D. - To understand the interactions between nanomaterials and biological systems |
| Lan Yang, Ph.D. - |
| Frank C-P. Yin, Ph.D., M.D. - Mechanical properties and responses of tissues, cells and cytoskeleton. |
| Charles F. Zorumski, M.D. - Modulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission. |
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