Interdisciplinary Studies in
Structural and Computational Biophysics
Purpose: The Track in Structural and Computational Biophysics offers students the opportunity to obtain advanced degrees (Ph.D. and M.S.) through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in a traditional discipline (Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Biology, Mathematics or Computer Science) while receiving broad training in the interdisciplinary field of Structural and Computational Biophysics. Track faculty, listed below (with links), represent all five departments; additional affiliated faculty from other departments are also listed.
Application Process (
Submit the WFU
graduate school application through the
Admission to the SCB Track: Students are normally considered for admission to the Interdisciplinary SCB Graduate Track after the first semester of their graduate studies. (Students in doctoral programs can also be admitted at any time during their first or second year.) Admission to the Track is initiated by meeting with the SCB department representative and submitting a letter of intent. Applicants will be considered for admission by the SCB Advisory Committee, who will then make recommendations to the Graduate School Dean for final approval. More details are provided in the Information sheet and on the "application" page.
Brochure: pdf file
Information sheet: pdf file
Meeting the Need: With the development of large scale biomedical projects, including research in Genome Sequencing, Structural Genomics, Functional Proteomics, and related large scale technologies, the biomedical research community has been inundated with information that must be organized and converted into knowledge. Organization and analysis of this information requires the input of (1) mathematicians and computer scientists who can communicate with biomedical researchers and understand the needs, and (2) biomedical researchers who can communicate with the mathematicians and computer scientists.
Hallmarks of the Track include:
- Preparation for careers in teaching and research, or in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry
- Ph.D. in Physics, Chemistry or Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, or M.S. in Computer Science or Mathematics
- Interdisciplinary training with faculty and resources included in the Center for Structural Biology at WFU
- Customized programs and coursework designed for students at the interface of Computer Science, Mathematics, Biophysics, Structural Biology and Biochemistry
- Institutional support of stipends, tuition costs and a new laptop computer
- Interaction with a diversity of researchers in monthly Discussion groups (Spring 08 schedule)
Track Faculty from affiliated departments:
Rebecca Alexander (Chemistry): Mechanisms of protein synthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
Ed Allen (Mathematics): Combinatorial algorithms; computational algebraic modelling; computational systems biology
Uli Bierbach (Chemistry): Organic and inorganic synthesis of novel drugs and drug conjugates
Keith Bonin (Physics): Molecular motors; total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy
Jim Curran (Biology): Molecular mechanisms of protein synthesis, translation, ribosome, tRNA, frameshifting, programmed frameshift, translational regulation
Larry Daniel (Biochemistry): Cell signaling in cancer, lipid-derived messengers, redox networks; modeling of signal transduction pathways
Jacque Fetrow (Physics and Computer Science): Protein structure/function; redox signaling; modeling of signal transduction pathways; cheminformatics; structure-based drug discovery
Martin Guthold (Physics): Nanobiotechnology, atomic force microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, single molecule biophysics, fibrin fibers, blood clotting, aptamers
Roy Hantgan (Biochemistry): Integrin structure and function; biomolecular/ biophysical interaction analysis
Tom Hollis (Biochemistry): X-ray crystallography, DNA repair proteins, structural biology of Fanconi anemia
George Holzwarth (Physics): Motor proteins, fast transport of vesicles
Dave Horita (Biochemistry): NMR spectroscopy, structural biology, protein-lipid interactions, protein-nucleic interactions
Susan Hutson (Biochemistry): Branched chain aminotransferases, leucine signaling pathways
David John (Computer Science): Combinatorial algorithms; genetic algorithms; computational algebraic modeling; computational systems biology
Dany Kim-Shapiro (Physics): Spectroscopy, sickle cell hemoglobin, nitric oxide
Bruce King (Chemistry): Organic compounds as nitric oxide (NO) and nitroxyl (HNO) delivery agents, reagents to examine oxidative signaling pathways
Mark Lively (Biochemistry): Protein biochemistry
Todd Lowther (Biochemistry): Macromolecular X-ray crystallography, enzymatic reduction of cysteine sulfinic acid and methionine sulfoxide, thioesterase and glyoxylate/hydroxypyruvate reductase structure/function
Doug Lyles (Biochemistry): Virus structure and assembly; biophysics and genetics of viral protein function; signaling pathways in virus-infected cells
Jed Macosko (Physics): Mechanics of protein machines and motors; atomic force microscopy (AFM), single molecule fluorescence microscopy and video-enhanced differential interference contrast light microscopy (VE-DIC)
Linda McPhail (Biochemistry): Protein structure/function; lipid signaling pathways; mammalian NADPH oxidases; assembly of enzyme complexes
Charles Morrow (Biochemistry): Synergy between drug efflux pumps and conjugating enzymes in cancer drug and carcinogen resistance; Regulation of genes associated with xenobiotic detoxification.
Gloria Muday (Biology): Transport protein structure/function, plasma membrane protein targeting, phosphorylation-dependent signaling pathways
Jim Norris (Mathematics): Statistical ecological modeling, statistical analysis of biological signaling pathways, systems biology
Derek Parsonage (Biochemistry): Structure-function studies of the FAD-dependent streptococcal NADH peroxidase and NADH oxidase; site-directed mutagenesis
Paul Pauca (Computer Science): Computational imaging systems, data mining, molecular dynamics simulation
Fred Perrino (Biochemistry): DNA replication, DNA repair, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, cancer therapeutics, deoxyribonucleases, TREX genes, DNA polymerases, alkylation DNA damage, mechanistic and structural studies
Leslie Poole (Biochemistry): Enzymological and biophysical studies of antioxidant enzyme systems; flavoprotein structure and function; redox active cysteinyl centers; biological cysteine sulfenic acid formation
Larry Rudel (Biochemistry): Plasma lipoprotein metabolism and regulation of apolipoprotein gene expression; cholesterol transport and trafficking
Fred Salsbury (Physics): Molecular dynamics, protein dynamics and function, electrostatic and solvent models, structural modeling of proteins and protein-DNA complexes, electronic structure
Brian Tague (Biology): Plant molecular biology, epigenetics, transcription
Stan Thomas (Computer Science): Database systems, neural networks, computer science education
Suzy Torti (Biochemistry): Proteins of iron metabolism: role in inflammation and cancer; transcriptional regulation; structure and function
Alan Townsend (Biochemistry): Molecular pharmacology of anticancer drugs; mechanisms of resistance to cytotoxic and mutagenic agents; glutathione metabolizing enzymes; aldehyde dehydrogenases
William Turkett (Computer Science): Probabilistic reasoning, machine learning, bioinformatics, multiagent systems
Other SCB affiliated faculty
Pete Santago (Biomedical Engineering): Pattern recognition, image analysis, signal processing, cheminformatics, QSAR prediction
Contact Information (please direct your inquiries to the individual listed below affiliated with the department of primary research interest):
Track Director: Jacquelyn Fetrow (Physics and Computer Science), 336-758-4957
Departmental Representatives on the SCB Advisory Board:
Leslie Poole (Biochemistry), 336-716-6711
Gloria Muday (Biology):, 336-758-5316
Rebecca Alexander (Chemistry), 336-758-5568
David John (Computer Science), 336-758-5535
Ed Allen (Mathematics), 336-758-4854
Daniel Kim-Shapiro (Physics), 336-758-4993
Mail Fetrow, Muday, Alexander, John, Allen and Kim-Shapiro at:
Mail Poole at: