OFFICERS
President
Peter Moore
Yale University
President–Elect
Richard Aldrich
Univeristy of Texas, Austin
Past–President
Henry Lester
California Institute
of Technology
June 1, 2010
Secretary
Dorothy Beckett
University of Maryland
Dear Biophysical Society Member:
Treasurer
Linda Kenney
University of Illinois, Chicago
The ballot for the election of President-Elect, Secretary, and seven Members of Council for
2010 is enclosed. Also enclosed are biographical sketches of and statements from all of
the candidates.
The slate of candidates was presented by the Nominating Committee to and approved by
Council. The Committee worked diligently to ensure that the slate reflects the diversity of
scientific interests and demographics of the Society. Please take a moment to familiarize
yourself with the candidates before casting your vote.
The Biophysical Society, now over 8,900 in membership, is a vital and growing organization,
thanks in large part to the active involvement of its members. Each year, a greater percentage
of eligible members participates in the election process. Your participation in the election
of the leaders of the Society is vital to its future. Exercise your right to vote by casting your
ballot before the August 1, 2010, deadline.
Sincerely,
Executive Officer
Rosalba Kampman
Biophysical Society, Bethesda
COUNCIL
Nancy Allbritton
Olaf S. Andersen
Ivet Bahar
Michael D. Cahalan
Patricia Clark
Marco Colombini
Enrique M. De La Cruz
Laura Finzi
Angel E. Garcia
Susan P. Gilbert
Angela Gronenborn
Donald W. Hilgemann
Vasanthi Jayaraman
Antoinette Killian
Tanja Kortemme
David Millar
Steven Rosenfeld
Catherine Royer
Petra Schwille
Peter T. So
Michael C. Wiener
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Editor–in–Chief
Edward Egelman
Dorothy Beckett
Secretary
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Awards
H. Jane Dyson
Finance
Linda Kenney
Nominating
Michael Cahalan
Member Services
Dorothy Beckett
Early Careers
Tharin Blumenschein
Education
David Dawson
International Relations
Catherine Royer
Minority Affairs
Luis Marky
Professional Opportunities
for Women (CPOW)
Rajini Rao
Membership
Erin Sheets
Publications
David Piston
11400 Rockville Pike, Suite 800, Bethesda, MD 20852 P: (301) 634–7114
F: (301) 634–7133 E: [email protected] W: www.biophysics.org
Public Affairs
R. John Solaro and
Kathleen Hall, Co–Chairs
2010 Nominees for President-Elect
(Vote for One)
J a n e S . R i c h a r dso n
MA, DSc(hon)
James B. Duke Professor of
Biochemistry
Duke University
Research Interests: Structural bioinformatics of proteins and RNAs; molecular representations and computer graphics; protein folding and design; all–
atom contact analysis; macromolecular crystallography; structure validation
and improvement.
Education: BA, Philosophy, Swarthmore College 1962; MA, Philosophy of
Science & MAT Science Teaching, Harvard, 1966; DSc(hon), Swarthmore,
1986; DSc(hon), UNC Chapel Hill, 1994; DSc(hon), University of
Richmond, 2003.
Summary of Professional Experience: Faculty, Duke University, 1970–present; Dept. of Anatomy 1970–1988, Dept. of Biochemistry 1984–present.
Awards, Honors, and Activities: Westinghouse Science Talent Search
3rd in US, 1958; BA, cum laude, 1962; Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, 1962;
MacArthur Fellow, 1985; National Academy of Sciences USA, 1991;
American Academy of Arts & Sciences, 1991; James B. Duke Professor,
1991; Biophysical Society National Lecturer, 1992; BioTechnology Winter
Symposium Special Achievement Award (with DCR), 1995; Protein Society
Amgen Award (with DCR), 1995; Biophysical Society Emily M. Gray
Award, 2001; Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, 2002–2003; Institute of
Medicine, 2006; En:Wikipedia Picture–of–the–Day, Nov 19 2009.
Young biophysicists today face greatly increased difficulties in becoming
known, finding jobs, and securing funding. The Society cannot make these
problems disappear, but it already provides real help and can work to do
more. Travel grants for student and foreign attendees, and choice of some
speakers from abstracts, are very good things and should be continued or even
expanded. But can we invent further ways to include even the new people
more thoroughly and help them find mentors, like-minded colleagues, and
interactions that continue past the Meeting? Is it possible to spend less of
our Meeting money on amenities we don’t care about and more on those we
do care about? Can we design truly useful help sessions on strategies for job
hunting and grant writing? My connections in DC say that as well as being
one of the earliest scientific societies to have a policy presence in Washington,
the Biophysical Society is respected for being one of the most sensible and
effective––that presence is even more essential now than ever. Might we use
our members’ collective knowledge to put together a jointly-edited set of welldocumented and striking examples of cases where fundamental biophysical
research has led to important advances that impact people’s lives, but that
could not have been anticipated by support mechanisms targeted directly to
those practical ends?
As far as communication goes, the central mission of the Society is presenting the exciting new advances across all of biophysics. It already accomplishes
that mission extremely well with the Journal and at the Meetings, but there
may be ways to tweak the system to do even better. Would it aid young or
field-changing scientists if we encouraged speakers to explain more of the difficulties and the new methods, as well as the exciting results and implications?
Can we move our Journal even further toward completely open access? Can
we make use of new technologies to create a temporary electronic world that
turns a Society meeting into a really easy way of connecting with both old
and new friends and colleagues? Old-style networking is also vital––I fondly
remember my first few Biophysical Society meetings in New Orleans, where
late-night encounters at jazz and beignets brought people together, as well as
great scientific sessions. Whatever the venue, ensuring obvious and appealing
places for informal gathering would add a great deal. But of course I’d love a
reprise of New Orleans!
Recent Activities: MolProbity structure–validation web service, 2002–present; RNA Ontology Consortium, 2004–present; PHENIX crystallographic
software development team, 2006–present; Assessor for CASP8 protein structure prediction, 2008; wwPDB Validation Task Force for Crystallography,
2008–present; PDB VTF for NMR, 2009–present.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 1977; Council 1985–1988;
Executive Board 1986–1988; National Lecturer 1992; Emily M. Gray Award
2001.
Other Scientific Societies: Protein Society (Council, Graphics Consultant
for Protein Science); RNA Society; Molecular Graphics Society; American
Society of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (Publications Committee,
Editorial Board of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Education); American
Crystallographic Association.
Candidate’s Statement: I’ve always identified professionally with outsiders
and iconoclasts, having studied astronomy and then philosophy, with no
PhD, learning computers with my husband Dave at MIT in the hacker 60s,
solving an early protein structure as amateurs, and exploring molecular graphics, protein design, and structural bioinformatics long before they existed as
fields. Therefore, as President, I would be motivated to identify new ways we
can further involve and support young scientists, and achieve even easier open
communication within and across our varied subfields.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
2010 Nominees for President-Elect
R u t h N u s s i n ov
PhD
Professor of Biochemistry
Principal Investigator and
Senior Principal Scientist
National Cancer Institute
and Medical School
Tel Aviv University
Research Interests: Molecular recognition, protein–protein interactions; protein structure, function and dynamics; protein–DNA binding; RNA structure;
aggregation; allostery; signaling.
Education: BS, Microbiology, University of Washington, 1966; MS,
Biochemistry, Rutgers University, 1967; (I took eight years off to have three
kids and resumed school in 1975); PhD Biochemistry, Rutgers University,
1977; Postdoctoral research, Weizmann Institute, Israel, Dept. of Structural
Chemistry, 1977–1980.
Summary of Professional Experience: Visiting Scientist, Dept. of Chemistry,
Berkeley, 1980; Visiting Scientist, Dept. of Biochemistry, Harvard University,
1981; Dept. of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, 1982; Visiting Scientist,
Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1983; Visiting Scientist, NICHHD, NIH,
1983–1984; Institute of Molecular Medicine, Medical School, Tel Aviv
University, 1985–1990; Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine and
Dept. of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Medical School, Tel
Aviv University 1990–present; SAIC–Frederick, National Cancer Institute,
1985–present.
Awards, Honors, and Activities: Deputy Editor–in–Chief, PLoS
Computational Biology; Editorial Board Physical Biology; Proteins; J. of
Molecular Recognition; the Biophysical Journal; Guest Editor PLoS ONE;
Editor, Current Protocols in Bioinformatics; Edited books; Presidents’ list of
researchers attaining the most external funding in Tel Aviv University; Invited to
Advisory committee reviewing the Dept. of Bioinformatics in Bergen, Norway;
Site visit committee of Division of Computing Resources and Technology,
NIH; Site visit committee GMD Institute of Algorithms, Bonn, Germany;
NCI Steering Committee for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
NCI; NCI Steering Committee for Systems Biology; NCI Immunology
Center of Excellence; Program Committee, Intelligent Systems in Molecular
Biology, 2006, 2008; Program Committee, Intelligent Systems in Molecular
Biology–ECCB, Vienna, 2007; Advisory Committee Modelling Protein
Interactions; Numerous tenure and promotion committees and evaluations;
Chair, Graduate Studies in Bioinformatics; Organized the NIH–INRIA
(France) Workshop; Tenure/tenure track committee at the NIH; Chair,
NIH–Wide Earl Stadtman Investigator Search Committee for Computational
Biology; Organizer in Gordon Research Conference on Protein Interaction
Dynamics: Theory, Methods and Practice; Search Committee for the Editor
of Proteins; NCI/CCR visit team to UMD to foster collaborations; Reviewer
for the GRC Board of Trustees, 2008, 2009, 2010; Site Visit Committee,
Quinquennial Review, London Cancer Research Institute; Committee Chair
Trans–NIH Tenured or Tenure Track Recruitment in Systems Biology and
Earl Stadtman Investigators, for top–tier candidates to become “NIH Earl
Stadtman Investigators” in Computational Biology; MSFD NIH Study
Section, long term; Numerous invited talks in international and domestic
meetings, and seminars in academic institutions; Serves on the Center for
Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (CCR) Advisory Board (advises
the Scientific Director and the CCR Director); and much more.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 1991; Member of the
Biophysical Journal Editorial Board since 2005; Council 2005–2008.
Other Scientific Societies: Protein Society; American Chemical Society;
International Society for Computational Biology.
Candidate’s Statement: Biophysics aims to understand biological phenomena on the atomic scale, and at the same time, to make sense of large scale
cellular processes and pathways. Experiments obtain information at multiple
levels. The goals of biophysics are to put these together, so we are able to figure
out how the information flows, how the processes are regulated and what goes
wrong in disease. We would like to understand how the signals transmit in the
cellular network; how external stimuli translate to cellular differentiation, turn
genes on and off, alter the chromatin epigenetic state, to replication, translation, protein synthesis and degradation; how ions flow through the bilayer
and translate into a cascading series of events regulating cell behavior; and how
viruses enter cells. Eventually, to understand mass data we need to figure out
the molecular interactions and their regulation. Biophysics is broad: it includes
biological functions that depend on physical phenomena such as electricity or
mechanical force, interactions of cells, complexes and molecules with agents
such as light or ionizing radiation, and cellular locomotion, navigation, and
communication. Its subjects include bone, nerve impulses, muscle, and vision
as well as organic molecules. Biophysics applies physical principles and methods to the study of the structures of living organisms and the mechanics of
life processes. However, beyond that, it aims to use the information to make
predictions and obtain testable models.
Biophysics increasingly gains the scientific center stage. It is an exciting
interdisciplinary field that draws scientists from different disciplines: physics,
chemistry, mathematics, engineering, computer science and biology. The goal
of our Society is to continue to attract these scientists, expand and enhance
the field. There are two major ways in which our Society can broaden the
biophysics community: by organizing broad state-of-the-art meetings which
will include the more traditional areas of our Society and at the same time the
new directions, and act vigorously to enhance the funding level in biophysics.
The importance of good meetings is obvious, and the last Biophysical Society
meeting in February in San Francisco serves as an excellent example, achieving record-level attendance. As to the second, I am a long-time member of an
NIH Study Section (Molecular Structure Function D) and as such am acutely
aware of the funding state. Top grant proposals are not funded. Too many
proposals are unscored and those that are, even when receiving good grades,
do not receive funding. I am very aware of the many hours spent on grant
writing. These hours come at the cost of research and publications leading to a
vicious cycle.
I believe that the key responsibility for the next President is to act vigorously
to make the legislature aware of the crucial role of Biophysics in the fundamental understanding of cellular processes, and as such in targeting disease. Being
located in Washington allows easier access to Government offices where the
Biophysical Society Presidential title could promote visibility, open doors and
facilitate discussions of this vital issue. Biophysics is the key for development
of therapeutic means.
The next President should aim to broaden and enlarge our Society. This
can be done by following the shifting disciplines and attracting scientists from
related areas to get physicists, engineers, chemists and mathematicians interested in the range of fascinating mechanistic problems and applications that
biophysics offer, by further strengthening the Biophysical Journal to ensure its
prosperity, and by increasing the membership abroad. Personally I am keenly
aware of this international potential: Europe, Asia, and Australia have much
to offer. Together, across the disciplines and the geographic map, enhanced
by exciting meetings and funding opportunities, our Society and biophysics
should increasingly flourish.
2010 Nominees for Secretary
(Vote for One)
Elizabeth K o m i ve s
PhD
Professor
University of California,
San Diego
Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry
Research Interests: My lab is interested in the biophysics of protein-protein
interactions mediated by non-globular proteins. The dynamics of these interactions are studied by surface plasmon resonance, NMR, amide hydrogen/
deuterium exchange, and stopped-flow fluorescence.
Education: BS/MS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chemistry/
Toxicology, 1982; PhD, University of California, San Francisco, Pharmaceutical
Chemistry, 1987; Postdoc, Harvard University, Chemistry/Biochemistry,
1987–1990.
Summary of Professional Experience: Assistant Professor, University
of California, San Diego, 1990–1996; Associate Professor, University of
California, San Diego, 1996–2000; Professor, University of California, San
Diego, 2000–present.
Honors and Awards: Rita Allen Scholar, 1991–1996; Searle Scholar,
1992–1995, Kaiser Permanente Award for Excellence in Teaching, 1999;
Michael & Kate Bárány Award for Young Investigators, 2000; Editorial Board,
Molecular and Cellular Proteomics; Study Sections, International and cooperative projects, 1999–present; GM Training Programs, 1998–2000; Council
2003-2006.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 1995; Michael & Kate Bárány
Award for Young Investigators, 2000; Council, 2003–2006; Symposium
Speaker, 2008; Minority Affairs Committee member, 2006–2009.
Other Scientific Societies: Protein Society, American Association for the
Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society.
Candidate’s Statement: The future of biophysics lies in interdisciplinary
work and integration of experimental and theoretical approaches. Only with
biophysics will we understand the proteome. It is important to continue to
find ways to integrate the various biophysical approaches to understand macro
molecules and their interactions.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
Biophysical Society 2008 Ballots
2010 Nominees for Secretary
L u k a s K . T a mm
PhD
Harrison Professor of
Molecular Physiology and
Biological Physics
University of Virginia
Research Interests: Membrane protein structure, folding, and dynamics;
membrane fusion in viral infection and exocytosis; model membranes including supported membranes; NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy; single molecule fluorescence.
Education: Undergraduate training, Biological Sciences, University of Basel,
Switzerland; Graduate research, Cornell University, 1977–1978; PhD,
Biophysics, University of Basel, Switzerland, 1982; Postdoctoral research,
Stanford University, 1982–1984.
Summary of Professional Experience: Independent Group Leader, Biocenter,
University of Basel, Switzerland, 1985–1990; Assistant Professor, 1990–1994,
Associate Professor, 1994–2000, Professor, 2000–present, University of
Virginia, Dept. of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics.
Honors and Awards: Theodore Engelmann Fellowship, 1977; Swiss National
Science Foundation Fellowship, 1982; Biophysics Prize, German Biophysical
Society, 1989; “Venia legendi” University of Basel, 1990; Life and Health
Insurance Medical Research Fund Award, 1990; MERIT Award NIAID,
2002; Faculty of 1000 Biology, 2008; Harrison Distinguished Professorship,
University of Virginia, 2009; Academy of Distinguished Educators, University
of Virginia, 2009.
Special Accomplishments: Editorial Boards: Journal of Structural Biology
1997–present; Biophysical Journal, 2004–present; Journal of Biological
Chemistry, 2007–present, Biochimica Biophysica Acta, 2004–present; Protein
Engineering Design & Selection, 2007–present; National and International
Committees: NIH Molecular Immunology and Diagnostics Special Emphasis
Panel, 1993–1997; NSF, Biophysics Program, External Reviewer, multiple
years; NICHD, Laboratory of Cell and Mol Biophysics, Intramural Review
Panel, 1999, 2003; NIH BBCB and BBM Study Sections, adhoc, multiple
years; NIH Special Study Sections for Members’ Conflicts, multiple years;
NIH Roadmap Advisory Panel “Visions for the Future of NIGMS”, 2003;
NIGMS Membrane Protein Roadmap Mid–Course Review Panel, 2007;
Several NIH Program Project Special Study Sections, 2004–present; Advisory
Board Danish Biophysics Network, 2004–2009; NIH Biochemistry and
Biophysics of Membranes (BBM) Study Section, regular member, 2009–present. Comprehensive Biophysics Textbook, Biomembranes Volume Editor,
2010–present.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 1988; Council, 2002–2005;
Biophysical Journal Editorial Board Member 2004–2008; Biophysical Journal
Associate Editor, 2008– present.
Other Scientific Societies: American Chemical Society, American Society
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, American Association of the
Advancement of Science, Protein Society.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
Candidate’s Statement: These are extraordinarily exciting, yet difficult times
for biophysics and individuals practicing biophysics. Never has biophysics had
such a broad scope of exciting research as it has now. It ranges from structural
biology, understanding mechanisms of molecular interactions in vitro and in
cells, molecular motors, membranes, machines of replication, transcription,
and translation, channels and transporters, excitability and contractility, cell
adhesion and locomotion, to understanding complexities of larger cellular systems. Exciting new experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches
are continually being developed while older methods are perfected. The
Annual Meetings are fantastic testaments to outstandingly creative activities.
Despite all this excitement, times are tough for young investigators to find
jobs and to obtain their first grants. More seasoned investigators are challenged
to hang onto their ongoing grants. The Society has an important role to play
in this scenario: It has to speak forcefully to promote biophysics at funding
agencies, academic and other institutions to create jobs, educate students, and
push for new opportunities for biophysical research.
As secretary, I intend to bring continuity to this long-term endeavor of the
Society. While other elected officers come and go, the position of secretary is
ideally suited to push for long-term goals to promote the interests of the Society
and its members. A particularly rewarding function of the secretary is to serve
as the conduit between the subgroups and the Board and Council. Subgroups
are the most vital grassroots elements that make up our pluralistic Society and
as secretary I will make their interests heard at all levels.
2010 Nominees for Council
(Vote for Seven)
James L. Cole
Da v id E liezer
PhD
PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Molecular
and Cell Biology
University of Connecticut
Associate Professor of
Biochemistry
Department of Biochemistry
Weill Medical College of
Cornell University
Research Interests: Protein-RNA interactions, innate immunity response,
host-virus interactions, thermodynamics of macromolecular interactions, analytical ultracentrifugation, small angle X-ray and neutron scattering.
Research Interests: Protein folding, misfolding and aggregation; disordered,
dynamic and non–native protein states; structural biology of neurodegeneration; magnetic resonance and optical spectroscopy of proteins.
Education: ScB, Biochemistry, Brown University, 1981; PhD, Biophysical
Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 1987; Postdoctoral Fellow,
Chemistry, Stanford University, 1987–1991.
Education: BS and MS, University of Michigan, 1984–1988; PhD Stanford
University, 1988–1994; Post–Doctoral Fellow, Scripps Research Institute,
1994–1999.
Summary of Professional Experience: Dept. of Biochemistry, Merck
Research Laboratories, 1991–1995; Dept. of Antiviral Research, Merck
Research Laboratories, 1995–2001, Associate Professor, Dept. of Molecular
and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, 2001–present; Director,
Partnership for Excellence in Structural Biology, University of Connecticut,
2006–2008; Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, University of
Connecticut, 2008–present; NIH macromolecular structure and function
study sections, 2001, 2005, 2010.
Summary of Professional Experience: Assistant and Associate Professor of
Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College and Weill Graduate School of
Medical Sciences of Cornell University, 1999–2004, 2004–present; Faculty
Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan–Kettering Training programs in Chemical Biology,
2001–present and Computational Biology and Medicine, 2005–present;
Director, Allied Graduate Program in Biochemistry & Structural Biology,
Cell Biology & Genetics, and Molecular Biology, WGSMS of Cornell
University, 2007–present.
Special Accomplishments: Arne Tiselius Young Investigator Award in
Analytical Ultracentrifugation, 1998.
Special Accomplishments: NSF Pre–doctoral Fellow 1988; NIH NRSA
Post–doctoral Fellow 1994; NYC Council Speaker’s Fund for Biomedical
Research Award, 1999; National Parkinson Foundation Award, 2002;
Scientific Advisory Board, National Parkinson Foundation, 2004; Irma T.
Hirschl Career Scientist Award, 2006; NIH Study Sections: MSFB, ad hoc,
2005, 2006; F04B, ad hoc, 2006; ZRG1 BST–Q special emphasis (protein misfolding), 2007; Grant Reviewer: U.S.–Israel Bi–National Science
Foundation, 2006; New Investigator Research Grants, UK Medical Research
Council, 2009; ERC Advanced Grants, European Research Council, 2009.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member and active Meeting participant since
1991; member of the Professional Opportunities for Women Committee
2003–2009; member of Molecular Biophysics Subgroup.
Other Scientific Societies: American Association for the Advancement
of Science.
Candidate’s Statement: As a member of Council I will work to advance the
core functions of the Society: bringing together a diverse group of researchers who collectively employ biophysical approaches to address biological
questions, hosting the Annual Meeting that highlights the latest advances
in biophysics, and supporting career development and professional growth
and scientific outreach and advocacy. One of my priorities will be to identify emerging areas for the Annual Meeting where quantitative methods are
providing new insights in biomedical and biopharmaceutical research. I
will continue to promote the representation and advancement of women
and underrepresented minorities in Biophysics. In particular, I will support
efforts to enhance diversity at the senior levels in academic, government, and
industrial institutions.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 1995; Founding Member,
Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDP) Subgroup; Program Co–Chair, IDP
Subgroup Symposium, 2008 Annual Meeting; Chair, IDP Subgroup, 2010.
Other Scientific Societies: American Physiological Society, American
Chemical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science,
Protein Society, Harvey Society, New York Academy of Sciences.
Candidate’s Statement: As a Council member, I would emphasize the
Society’s role as a forum for attracting young scientists to new developments at
the interface between physics and biology. Priorities would include facilitating
interactions of students and postdocs with their senior colleagues, both at the
Annual Meeting and through new initiatives to expand online communication opportunities. I am a strong believer in the active promotion of diversity
in science. Finally, I would promote efforts to communicate both to the
general public and to funding agencies the critical importance of continued
robust support for basic science.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
2010 Nominees for Council
Karen Fleming
Do ro th y A. H anck
PhD
PhD
Associate Professor & Director
of Undergraduate Studies
Thomas C. Jenkins
Department of Biophysics
Johns Hopkins University
Professor, Department of
Neuroscience
University of Chicago
Research Interests: Membrane protein folding, chaperone mediated protein
folding, transmembrane helix-helix interactions, solution biophysics of macromolecules.
Research Interests: Ion channel biophysics and molecular pharmacology
focusing on voltage gated ion channels, particularly cardiac Na channels and
T–type calcium channels, as well as connexins as hemichannels.
Education: BA, French, University of Notre Dame, 1983–1987; PhD,
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center,
1988–1993; Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University, Molecular Biophysics &
Biochemistry, 1993–1998.
Education: BA, English, Illinois State University, 1968; PhD, Physiology,
Temple University School of Medicine, 1981; Post–doctoral fellowships with
Brian Jewell at Dept. of Physiology, Leeds University, 1981–1984 and Harry
Fozzard at the University of Chicago,1984–1987.
Summary of Professional Experience: Research Scientist, Yale University,
Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, 1998–2000; Assistant Professor of
Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 2000–2007; Associate Professor of
Biophysics, 2007–present; Editorial Board, Proteins; Director of Undergraduate
Studies for the Biophysics Major, JHU.
Summary of Professional Experience: Research Assistant Professor, 1984–
1990, Assistant Professor, 1990–1997, Associate Professor, 1997–2002,
Professor, 2002–present, University of Chicago; Member of graduate committees for Cell Physiology, Neurobiology, Computational Neurobiology, and
Molecular Medicine (executive committee member for Cell Physiology and
Molecular Medicine), and faculty of The College.
Special Accomplishments: NIH–NIMH Pre–doctoral Fellow, 1991–
1993; NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, 1994–1996; Arne Tiselius Young
Investigator Award, 1997; DOD Career Award, 2002–2006; Chair, 2010
Gordon Research Conference on Biomolecular Interactions & Methods;
Advisor for 2010 Gordon Research Symposium on Biomolecular Interactions
& Methods (student–organized pre–meeting).
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 2004 and participant in Annual
Meeting; 1991 Talbot Travel Award Recipient; Advisor to students receiving
both SRAA and travel awards; Membrane Structure & Assembly Subgroup
member.
Other Scientific Societies: Gibbs Society of Biothermodynamics; active participant in Gordon and FASEB Summer Research Conferences.
Candidate’s Statement: As a Council member, I will work to improve
the applications of quantitative biophysical approaches to diverse biological
problems. Crucial to this goal is to identify emerging biological questions
and biophysical methodologies and to seek out the best speakers from these
areas in order to bring these two groups together and foster cross–disciplinary
interactions at the Annual Meeting. At the same time, I am mindful of the
importance of improving racial and gender diversity of speakers, awardees and
participants, and I am committed to finding ways for young biophysicists to
play more active roles in the Society, in the Annual Meeting program development, and in the Annual Meeting program itself.
Special Accomplishments: Established Investigator of the American Heart
Association, 1993–1998; Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate
Teaching, 2005; current permanent member of Biophysics of Neural Systems
Study Section and NINDS study section for K99 and F30 applications (NST–
2); past member and study section chair for American Heart Association study
section on cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology; Editorial Board member for Journal of General Physiology, 2007–present.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 1985; Member of Membrane
Biophysics and Permeation and Transport Subgroups; Editorial Board member for Biophysical Journal, 2004–present.
Other Scientific Societies: Society of General Physiologists, Society
for Neuroscience, American Physiological Society, American Society for
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty for Undergraduate
Neuroscience, the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, Basic Science Council of
the American Heart Association.
Candidate’s Statement: The Biophysical Society is a rich community of
scholars that crosses disciplines, and it is this role that I relate to most strongly.
The Annual Meeting, the Journal, and the website resources have been flora
that I and my laboratory have benefitted from to the greatest degree and it
is to these, and to similar activities that maintain the strength of the fields,
which I am committed. I am particularly committed to initiatives that provide students opportunities to develop and exercise quantitative approaches to
biological questions.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
2010 Nominees for Council
A m y B . H a r k i ns
P e te r Hin te rdorfer
PhD
PhD
Associate Professor
Department of
Pharmacological and
Physiological Science
Saint Louis University
Professor of Applied
Experimental Biophysics
Institute for Biophysics
Johannes Kepler University
Linz, Austria
Research Interests: Exo/endocytosis of vesicles, synaptic transmission, ion
channel biophysics, membrane proteins, imaging.
Education: BA, Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 1986; MS,
Neuroscience, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1988; PhD, University
of Pennsylvania, 1993; Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Chicago,
1993–1997.
Summary of Professional Experience: Research Associate–Instructor,
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Neurobiology, Pharmacology, and Physiology,
University of Chicago, 1997–2002; Assistant and Associate Professor (tenured), Dept. of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, Saint Louis
University, 2002–present; Dept. of Biomedical Engineering (secondary
appointment), Saint Louis University, 2009–present.
Special Accomplishments: Five Year Service Award for the NSF Research
Mentor Program, STARS, 2009; Grantwinner Award for Excellence in
Research, Saint Louis University, 2009; Women’s Council for the Brain
Research Foundation Award, 1996.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member and active participant of Biophysical
Society since 1990; Early Careers Committee, 2001–2007; CPOW,
2006–present; Exocytosis & Endocytosis Subgroup, 2007–present; Advisory
Committee for Exocytosis & Endocytosis Subgroup, 2009–present; organized
panels and luncheons, and wrote articles for the newsletter about career development and mentoring.
Other Scientific Societies: American Physical Society.
Candidate’s Statement: I joined the Biophysical Society as a student member in 1990, and even through changes in scientific research interests, I have
chosen to keep the Biophysical Society as my scientific home. The major
strengths that the Society offers include broad scientific topics presented at
the Annual Meetings, interdisciplinarian approaches and methodology, and
career development and mentoring for young scientists. As a member of the
Biophysical Society, I have worked to improve the career development opportunities through the Early Careers Committee and CPOW, and have made
inclusion of young scientists and faculty members a priority. As a Council
member, I will work to identify new and exciting biophysical techniques and
topics for the scientific program, I will continue my efforts in mentoring and
career development, and I will continue to ensure diversity in race, gender, and
age in all participatory roles within the Society. I look forward to fulfilling my
duties as a member of the Council to support the continued development of
the Biophysical Society.
Research Interests: Advanced nanoscopic and single molecule techniques
in life science, bio–nano technology, and medical diagnostics. Mostly utilizing scanning probe microscopy techniques my particular research interests
cover bio–medical sensing, and molecular recognition and transport in the
following fields: cells, virus/membrane interactions, transmembrane transporters, nuclear envelope membranes, bacterial surface layers, and structured
sensor templating.
Education: Diploma, Technical Physics, 1989; PhD Biophysics, 1992,
Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria; Schrödinger Postdoctoral
Fellowship, University of Virginia, 1992–1993; Habilitation, Biophysics,
‘High Resolution Fluorescence and Atomic Force Microscopy on Proteins
and Biological Membranes’, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, 2001.
Summary of Professional Experience: Research Assistant, 1988–1992;
University Assistant, 1993–2001; Associate Professor, 2001–2009; Professor
of Applied Experimental Biophysics, since 2010; Institute for Biophysics,
Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.
Special Accomplishments: Postdoctoral Schrödinger Fellowship of
the Austrian Science Fund, 1992–1993; Organizer of the Annual Linz
Winter Workshop, “Single Molecule Techniques in Biophysics and Drug
Discovery”, since 1999; Research & Development 100 Award, 2004;
Editor of Biophysical Journal, since 2006; Editor of the ‘Proceedings of the
Linz Winter Workshop, 2006–2008; Chair of the Molecular Biophysics
Subgroup Meeting, Biophysical Society Meeting, 2007; Nomination Nano
Award Austria, 2008; Editor of the ‘Springer Handbook of Single–Molecule
Biophysics’, 2009.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 1992; Editorial Board
Member of Biophysical Journal, since 2006; Member of the Molecular
Biophysics Subgroup and Chair of the Molecular Biophysics Subgroup
Meeting, 2007; I and many members of my laboratory are active attendees of
the Annual Meeting.
Candidate’s Statement: The Biophysical Society Annual Meetings are now
for almost 20 years my most important venue for getting an overview of future
trends in the field. Many of the articles that inspire me for future research
come from the Biophysical Journal. I therefore would like to be more involved
in this environment in a time when biophysics is very exciting and support
of young researchers is of key importance. Now is just the right start for the
interplay of cellular biophysics with medical sensing and detecting diseases on
a molecular level.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
2010 Nominees for Council
Tzyh–Chang
Hwang
Dio me d e s E.
Lo g o th e tis
PhD
PhD
Professor
Department of Medical
Pharmacology & Physiology
University of Missouri School
of Medicine
Professor & Chair, Department
of Physiology and Biophysics
Virginia Commonwealth
University School of Medicine,
Richmond
Research Interests: Structure and function of ion channels, structure–
based drug design, ABC transporters, single–molecule biophysics, epithelial
transport, bioengineering.
Research Interests: Mechanisms of modulation of ion channel activity by G
proteins and phosphoinositides. Approaches include electrophysiology, cloning, mutagenesis, biochemistry, cell biology, and computational chemistry.
Education: MD, National Yang–Ming University, Taiwan, 1982; PhD,
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1990; Postdoctoral training,
Rockefeller University, 1993.
Education: BA, Physics, 1980, MA, Experimental Psychology, 1981,
Northeastern University, MA; PhD, Physiology and Biophysics, Harvard
University, MA, 1987; HHMI Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical
School, 1987–1993.
Summary of Professional Experience: Assistant Professor, Rockefeller
University, 1993 –1994; Assistant Professor, University of Missouri–Columbia,
1994 –1999; Associate Professor, 1999–2004; Professor, 2004–present.
Special Accomplishments: Ella Fitzgerald Research Fellowship, New York
Heart Association, 1991–1994; New Investigator Award, Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation, 1996; Paul Cranefield Award, Society of General Physiologists,
2000; Outstanding Alumni Award for Academic Accomplishments, National
Yang–Ming University, Taiwan, 2009; Editorial Board Member, Journal of
General Physiology, 2003–present; Member of MDCN3 Study Section, NIH,
2003 – 2006; Member of BPNS Study Section, NIH, 2006–2007.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member and active participant since 1990;
Editorial Board of the Biophysical Journal, 2006–present.
Other Scientific Societies: Society of General Physiologists.
Candidate’s Statement: As a long–time member of the Biophysical Society,
what I treasure most is the core value of this community: high-quality science
tackling the fundamental physical and chemical mechanisms underlying all
biological processes. A colleague of mine who is not a regular attendee recently
told me that he truly enjoyed the depth of the scientific work presented in our
Annual Meeting and will attend our Meeting more frequently. His statement
testifies to the distinguishing feature of this community that we all are proud
of. If I am elected, I will do my best to safeguard this value that defines our
Society. I will also work with my co-workers in the Council to fight for more
funding to support biophysical research. As a scientist who often travels
to different countries in Asia, I will use every opportunity to promote our
Society and the core value to attract more scientists to our organization. As
an organizer for our Annual Meeting, I will strive to ensure that our meeting
covers the most exciting and pioneering research and at the same time give
every subgroup its fair share of time and representation.
Summary of Professional Experience: Assistant Professor, 1993–1997;
Associate Professor, 1997–2002; Professor and Vice Chair, Dept. of
Physiology and Biophysics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 2002–2008;
Dean, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, 2002–2006; Director MSTP
(MD/PhD) program, MSSM, 2003–2007; Professor and John D. Bower
Chair of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University,
School of Medicine, 2008–present.
Special Accomplishments: Avrom Aaron Leve Award, NU, 1980; Albert
J. Ryan Fellow, HMS, 1986; Excellence in Teaching Awards 1992, HMS,
2000, 2001, 2002, MSSM; Student Council Appreciation Award (2005,
MSSM); Outstanding Mentor Award, MSSM, 2008; reviewer Neuronal and
Glial Mechanisms, NSF study section, 1998-2000; Established Investigator,
American Heart Association, 2000; ad hoc member ESTA study section,
1993–present, Northeast/Mid Atlantic AHA reviewer, 1994-present; Ad hoc
member CADO study section, 2010–present; Regular member NIGMS
BRTB/A training grant study section, 2005–2009.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member and active participant in Annual
Biophysical Society Meetings since 1986.
Candidate’s Statement: The Biophysical Society has been the main Society
I have been associated with since my graduate school years. Through its
Annual Meetings, I have become part of a strong international community of
biophysicists who aim to understand the molecular underpinnings of function rather than to merely describe them. Towards this quest of appreciation
of the fundamental laws that govern “life,” I hope to serve as a Council member to bring my scientific and administrative skills to the Society in its task
to oversee its many activities. I am particularly interested in promoting the
application of biophysical thinking and approaches to the understanding of
physiology by promoting innovative science and education in this direction.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
2010 Nominees for Council
Ma r j o r i e L . L o ng o
Jia n p e n g M a
PhD
PhD
Professor
Department of Chemical
Engineering & Materials
Science
University of California, Davis
Professor
Department of Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
Research Interests: Atomic force microscopy and quantitative fluorescence
microscopy; alcohol tolerance in biological membranes, obstructed lipid and
protein motion, membrane mixing behavior, interleaflet lipid transport, environmental and medical microbubbles .
Education: BA, Biochemistry–Molecular Biology, University of California
Santa Barbara, 1988; PhD, Chemical Engineering, University of California
Santa Barbara, 1993; Postdoctoral Associate, Chemical Engineering, Cornell
University, 1993–1996.
Summary of Professional Experiences: Assistant Professor, 1996–2002,
Associate Professor, 2002–2006, Professor, 2006–present, Chemical
Engineering and Materials Science University of California Davis; Joe and
Essie Smith Endowed Chair, University of California Davis, 2001–2006;
Coordinator of Bio–Interfaces Interdisciplinary Research Group of NSF
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, 1997–2007; Chair of
Biophysics Graduate Program University of California Davis, 2005–2008;
Editorial Board Member, Bubble Science, Engineering and Technology,
2008–present.
Special Accomplishments: Honors and Distinction, 1988; Patricia
Roberts Harris Fellowship, 1988–1991; University of California President’s
Dissertation Year Fellowship, 1992–1993; NIH NRSA Postdoctoral
Fellowship, 1994–1996; NSF CAREER Award, 1998–2002; Chancellor’s
Fellow, 2003–2008; Engineering Dean Outstanding Midcareer Research
Faculty Award, 2009.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member and participant at every meeting since 1998; Member Membrane Structure and Assembly Subgroup;
Nominated 2009 and 2010 to Chair Membrane Structure and Assembly
Subgroup; Subgroup Speaker, 2005; Symposium Speaker, 2007; Reviewer
for Biophysical Journal.
Other Scientific Societies: American Chemical Society, American Physical
Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Candidate’s Statement: The Biophysical Society Annual Meeting has provided an ideal community for my diverse research group. The membership
recognizes the worth of simpler systems in allowing quantitative biology to
move systematically toward systems with greater levels of complexity. It
is exciting to observe the global impact on health, energy, and fundamental knowledge that is being played out by our membership. As a Council
member I would advocate for continued and expanded opportunities for our
members in the day-to-day operation of the Annual Meeting. I would advocate for ways to attract diversity in our field to represent the demographics of
the global workforce.
Research Interests: Simulation, modeling and refinement of macromolecular
complexes, bioinformatics and structural biology.
Education: PhD, Chemistry, Boston University, 1996; Burroughs Wellcome
Fund PMMB Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, 1997–1998;
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University,
1998–2000.
Summary of Professional Experience: Assistant Professor, Baylor College
of Medicine and Rice University, 2000–2004; Associate Professor, Baylor
College of Medicine and Rice University, 2004–2008; Professor, Baylor
College of Medicine and Rice University, 2008–present.
Special Accomplishments: Award for Distinguished Young Scholars Abroad,
Chinese National Natural Science Foundation, 2003–2005; Faculty Early
Career Development (CAREER) Award, National Science Foundation,
2003–2008; Norman Hackerman Award for Chemical Research from Welch
Foundation, 2004; Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS),
2007; Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS), 2008; Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research
Award, 2008. Member of Editorial Board of Structure.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 2001 and regular participant at
Annual Meeting speaker; 2004 and 2008; reviewer of Biophysical Journal.
Other Scientific Societies: Protein Society, American Chemical Society,
American Physical Society, Biomedical Engineering Society.
Candidate’s Statement: Biophysics is a very active interdisciplinary research
field. It covers a wide range of expertise. In this post–genomic era, the
fundamental landscape of biological study is much more quantitative. Since
biological processes obey the basic laws of physics and chemistry, biophysics aspires to reveal the molecular mechanisms of biology. Being a young
biophysicist myself, if elected, I will focus on developing the careers of
junior scientists. I will also focus on promoting the BPS in the biomedical
engineering communities. In this regard, as a joint faculty member in Rice
Bioengineering Department is particularly advantageous. Thus, I would like
to help the BPS in several ways: (1) to personally participate in organizing, or
encouraging others to organize, programs in BPS annual meetings to promote
research at the intersection of different disciplines, (2) to maximize the awareness and participation of young trainees, especially biologically oriented ones,
in the activities of the BPS, (3) special emphasis will also be given to under–
represented minority students.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
2010 Nominees for Council
Rohit V. Pappu
Ga il A. R o b ertson
PhD
PhD
Associate Professor,
Department of Biomedical
Engineering
Washington University, St. Louis
Professor
Department of Physiology
University of
Wisconsin–Madison
Research Interests: Mechanisms of protein aggregation in understanding the
onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington’s
disease and Alzheimer’s disease; Intrinsically disordered proteins - a purported
lack of well-defined 3-dimensional structure – affects on organization and
regulation of protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interaction networks.
Education: BSc, Physics, Mathematics, Electronics, Bangalore University,
India 1986–1989; PhD, Theoretical & Biological Physics, Tufts University,
1990–1996; Postdoctoral Scientist, Washington University School of
Medicine, 1996–1998; Postdoctoral Scientist, Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, 1998–2001.
Summary of Professional Experience: Assistant Professor of Biomedical
Engineering, Washington University, 2001–2007; Adjunct Assistant
Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Washington University,
2002–2008; Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Washington
University, 2007–present; Adjunct Associate Professor of Biochemistry &
Molecular Biophysics, Washington University, 2009–present; Member,
Center for Computational Biology, Washington University, 2001–present; Member, Hope Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Washington
University, 2007–present.
Special Accomplishments: National Merit Scholarship, India, 1989; John F.
Burlingame Graduate Fellowship in Physics, Tufts University, 1996; March
of Dimes Foundation Starter Scholar Award, 2003; Member, Biophysics of
Neural Systems NIH Study Section, 2008–2012; Chair–elect, Intrinsically
Disordered Proteins Gordon Research Conference, 2012.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 2001; Intrinsically Disordered
Proteins Subgroup Symposium Co–Chair, 2008; Intrinsically Disordered
Proteins Subgroup, Chair, 2009–2010.
Other Scientific Societies: American Chemical Society, American Association
for the Advancement of Science, American Physical Society, Protein Society.
Candidate’s Statement: The emphasis in modern science is increasingly
“translational.” This is especially true in biological sciences, where complexity is inherent and biophysics is relevant. Biophysicists are crucial to efforts
with translational objectives because we are multidisciplinary by nature, are
innovative by necessity, and generate lasting impacts because of our emphasis
on fundamental principles and mechanistic insights. All of these strengths
and synergies between different sub–disciplines of biophysics are needed to
comprehend the daunting complexities of biological systems. And advocacy
for biophysics and biophysicists is important and imperative during these
changing times. If given the privilege to serve as a member of the council,
advocacy on behalf of the society’s members and an active effort to draw
youngsters into biophysics by showcasing new and exciting areas in the field
will be my major priorities.
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of potassium channel gating,
assembly, and trafficking; physiological roles of potassium channels in the
heart; mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmia.
Educational Experience: BS, Neuroscience, State University of New York
at Buffalo, 1979; PhD, Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis,
1986; Postdoc, Genetics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1986–1991.
Summary of Professional Experience: Assistant Professor of Physiology,
UW–Madison, 1992–1999; Associate Professor Physiology, 1999–2008;
Professor of Physiology, 2009–present; Director and co–founder, MS in
Biotechnology Program, UW–Madison, 2004–2008.
Special Accomplishments: American Heart Association Postdoctoral
Fellowship, 1988–1989; NIH NRSA Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship,
1989–1991; Course co–instructor, Molecular Approaches to Ion Channel
Structure, Function and Expression, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, 1994;
NSF CAREER Award, 1997–2002; Plenary Lecture, International Society
for Heart Research, Japanese Section, Tokyo, Japan, 1998; American Heart
Established Investigator Award, 1998–2002; Director, Physiology Graduate
Program, 1999–2001; NIH/NIGMS Biomedical Research and Research
Training A (BRT–A) Study Section, Member, 2001–2006, Chair, 2006;
Fellow of the American Heart Association, 2003–present; The Journal of
Biological Chemistry Editorial Board, 2003–2008, 2010–present; Keynote
Lecture, Forum for Dialogue on the Status of Biotechnology in Uganda,
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, 2004; Plenary Lecture, University of
British Columbia Graduate Student Research Day, Vancouver, BC, Canada,
2007; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), Scientific and
Medical Research Funding Working Group, 2008–present; Journal of General
Physiology Editorial Board, 2009–present; AAMC Mid–Career Women
Faculty Professional Development Seminar, Scottsdale, AZ, 2010.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 1991; Member, Membrane
Biophysics Subgroup, 2007.
Candidate’s Statement: A bulwark of rigor, integrity, and innovation, the
Biophysical Society and its members play a critical role in safeguarding the
public trust and creating a sense of awe and pride in those providing the public
support that is our lifeblood. I want to help engage the broader community
in our scientific accomplishments as a way to inspire a new generation of biophysicists and facilitate a sound structural recovery of our weakened funding
systems moving forward. By explaining in an accessible way how discoveries
of fundamental mechanisms fuel the advances that improve our lives and our
world, we can foster support for the basic research that unexpectedly opens
new frontiers.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot
2010 Nominees for Council
L a r r y T o b a c ma n
C la u d ia Veigel
MD
PhD
Professor of Medicine and
Physiology and Biophysics
Director, MD-PhD Program
University of Illinois at Chicago
Professor of Cellular Physiology
and Chair
Ludwig–Maximilans–Universität
München, Germany
Research Interests: Protein dynamics and allosteric mechanisms,
thin filament structure and function, Ca2+-mediated control of muscle contraction, biomolecular assemblies, hydrogen–deuterium exchange,
statistical mechanics.
Education: AB, Physics, Brandeis University, 1972; MD, Case Western
Reserve University, 1976; Resident, Case Western Reserve University, 1976–
1979; Postdoctoral Associate, NHLBI Laboratory of Cell Biology, 1980–192
and Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology, 1982–1986.
Summary of Professional Experience: Assistant Professor of Internal
Medicine and Biochemistry, University of Iowa, 1987–1989; Associate
Professor, 1989–1995; Professor, 1995–2003; Professor of Medicine and
of Physiology and Biophysics and Director, MD–PhD Training Program
(Medical Scientist Training Program starting 2007), University of Illinois
at Chicago, 2003–present; Senior Associate Dean for Research,
2007–present.
Special Accomplishments: Phi Beta Kappa, 1972; American Society for
Clinical Investigation, 1994; Association of American Physicians, 2001;
Editorial Board, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1992–97, 1999–2004;
Member, NIH CVA Study Section, 2002–03 and CCHF Study Section,
2003–2006.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member and Annual Meeting participant
since 1983; Biophysical Society Motility Subgroup Co–chair, 1999.
Other Scientific Societies: American Association for the Advancement of
Science; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Union
of Concerned Scientists.
Candidate’s Statement: Primary tasks for the Society leadership include
effective advocacy for federal support of biophysical research, supportive
oversight of the Biophysical Journal, and creative stewardship of the Annual
Meeting. It would be hard to overstate the importance of our Society’s Annual
Meeting for the vigor of biophysics. Attendees benefit from the immense volume of scientific interchange, exposure to new developments experimental
and technological, the impressive introduction the meeting provides to those
new in the field, and the sheer fun of the event. Council members can achieve
improvements by obtaining extensive feedback from attendees, and then
acting on the results. If elected, I will bring to the Council’s deliberations
three decades of participation in the Society, a research background spanning
several biophysical areas, and a belief that an important strategy for refining
the Society’s agenda is to consult the membership.
Research Interests: Motor proteins, macromolecular machines, dynamics
of the cytoskeleton, single-molecule experiments, optical trapping, singlemolecule fluorescence, atomic force microscopy.
Education: MD, PhD, in Physiology, University of Tübingen, Germany,
1990; Postdoctoral Fellow University of Heidelberg, Germany, 1992–1995;
Postdoctoral Fellow, University York, UK, 1995.
Summary of Professional Experience: Royal Society University Research
Fellow and group leader, University of York, UK, 1999–2002; group
leader, National Institute for Medical Research London, UK, 2002–2009;
Professor of Cellular Physiology and Chair, Ludwig–Maximilans–Universität
München, Germany, 2009–present.
Special Accomplishments: EMBO and British Heart Foundation
Postdoctoral Fellowships, 1996–1999; Royal Society University Research
Fellow, 1999–2004.
Biophysical Society Activities: Member since 2000; Editorial Board,
Biophysical Journal, 2007–present; Annual Meeting speaker, 2009; Member,
Motility Subgroup, Chair 2002-2003.
Other Scientific Societies: British Biophysical Society Committee,
2003–09; Editorial Board, Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility,
2007–present.
Candidate’s Statement: I will advertise the importance of interdisciplinary
basic research in the life sciences, integrating approaches from physics and
engineering, to the scientific community of all backgrounds. In particular I
will promote the status of the Biophysical Society and its Meetings as the
worldwide communication hub for cutting–edge research in this area. As a
Council member, I will help to compile a varied programme for the Annual
Meeting and aim to put forward in particular new research areas that combine
quantitative measurements and modeling of cellular machines and systems,
from molecules to cells and tissue, using biophysical techniques.
Biophysical Society 2010 Ballot