Biochemistry, Biophysics & Structural Biology

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Researchers in the Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology concentration employ a wide variety of approaches to the study of mechanistic biology problems at the molecular level. Research interests include protein and nucleic acid structure and function, mechanisms of gene regulation at the transcriptional and translational levels, protein and RNA processing, metal trafficking, mechanisms of viral infection, and membrane-embedded transporters and their mechanisms of regulation. These research questions are addressed using a variety of methods including basic biochemistry, proteomics, X-ray crystallography, solution NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and single-molecule manipulations.

Northwestern fosters a highly collaborative environment for multi-disciplinary studies and provides researchers with access to outstanding research facilities equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation such as the Keck Biophysics Facility and a dedicated beam line at the Advanced Photon Source of the Argonne National Laboratories for Northwestern University researchers. The training in this concentration is broad and interdisciplinary through research and specialized courses in advanced topics. Research in this area frequently integrates several disciplines, and involves collaborative efforts between preceptors from various fields. Outstanding students may be nominated for support from the Molecular Biophysics Training Grant.

Molecular Biophysics Program

Faculty List

	Vadim Backman, PhD Email:v-backman@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-3536 Fax: (847) 491-4928 Room: Tech E278 Research Interests: Early cancer screening using biophotonics technologies, early physiological and molecular events in carcinogenesis, mechanisms of microvascular blood supply increase in early carcinogenesis, alteration of cell nanoarchitecture in carcinogenesis.
	Jason Brickner, PhD Email: j-brickner@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-0210 Fax: (847) 467-1380 Room: Pancoe 3105 Research Interests: Cell biology of transcription
	Richard F. Gaber, PhD Email: r-gaber@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-5452 Fax: (847) 467-1422 Room: Cook 3135 Research Interests: Nutrient sensing and molecular chaperones
	Bartosz A. Grzybowski, PhD Email: grzybor@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-3024 Fax: (847) 491-3728 Room: Tech E136 Research Interests: Self-assembly in dynamic and biological systems, interactions between cells/biomolecules and nanostructured materials, cell motility and cytoskeletal dynamics, and biomimetic chemical systems
	Linda Hicke, PhD Email: l-hicke@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-4490 Fax: (847) 491-4970 Room: Pancoe 3401 Research Interests: Down regulation of signal transducing receptors
	Brian M. Hoffman, PhD Email: bmh@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-3104 Fax: (847) 491-7713 Room: Tech NG91 Research Interests: Long-range interprotein electron transfer
	Michael C. Jewett, PhD Email: mcjewett@genetics.med.harvard.edu Phone: TBA Fax: TBA Room:TBA Research Interests: Engineering cell-free systems for medicine, biotechnology and synthetic biology
	Robert A. Lamb, PhD Email: ralamb@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-5433 Fax: (847) 491-2467 Room: Cook 3141 Research Interests: Viral glycoproteins, ion channels, and RNA-binding proteins
	John F. Marko, PhD Email: john-marko@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-1276 Fax: (847) 467-1380 Room: Pancoe 4109 Research Interests: Protein-DNA interactions; chromosome structure and dynamics; single-molecule biophysics
	Andreas Matouschek, PhD Email: matouschek@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-3570 Fax: (847) 467-1380 Room: Pancoe 4105 Research Interests: Mechanisms of macromolecular machines
	Alfonso Mondragón, PhD Email: a- mondragon@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-7726 Fax: (847) 467-1380 Room: Cook 4131 Research Interests: DNA topoisomerases, catalytic RNA molecules, and the molecular basis of spectrin flexibility
	Richard I. Morimoto, PhD Email: r-morimoto@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-3340 Fax: (847) 491-3340 Room: Cook 3129 Research Interests: Regulation and function of molecular chaperones
	Thomas V. O'Halloran, PhD Email: t-ohalloran@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-5060 Fax: (847) 491-7713 Room: Pancoe 1121 Research Interests: Metalloregulatory proteins
	Heather Pinkett, PhD Email: h-pinkett@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-4048 Fax: (847) 467-1380 Room: Cook 4129 Research Interests: Membrane proteins with emphasis on the structure and function of membrane-embedded transporters and their mechanisms of regulation
	Ishwar Radhakrishnan, PhD Email: i-radhakrishnan@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-1173 Fax: (847) 467-6489 Room: Cook 4135 Research Interests:Structure, function and dynamics of proteins involved in eukaryotic gene regulation
	Amy C. Rosenzweig, PhD Email: amyr@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-5301 Fax: (847) 467-6489 Room: Cook 4137 Research Interests:Structural biology and bioinorganic chemistry, metal uptake, transport and storage, oxygen activation by metalloenzymes, biological methane oxidation, membrane protein crystallography
	Richard B. Silverman, PhD Email: agman@chem.northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-5653 Fax: (847) 491-7713 Room: Tech M292 Research Interests:Medicinal, bioorganic, and enzyme chemistry
	Erik J. Sontheimer, PhD Email: erik@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-6880 Fax: (847) 491-4461 Room: Cook 3137 Research Interests: Ribonucleoproteins and eukaryotic gene expression
	Olke Uhlenbeck, PhD Email: o-uhlenbeck@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 491-5139 Fax: (847) 491-5444 Room: Cook 4143 Research Interests: RNA biochemistry
	Jonathan Widom, PhD Email: j-widom@northwestern.edu Phone: (847) 467-1887 Fax: (847) 467-1380 Room: Cook 4133 Research Interests:Structure and function of chromosomes, biophysical chemistry of proteins and nucleic acids