NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Department Chair
- Professor
The Rosenzweig group is focused on understanding metalloprotein function on the molecular level. We use structural, spectroscopic, biochemical, genetic, and bioinformatic approaches to attack problems at the forefront of bioinorganic chemistry. Specific areas of interest include biological methane oxidation, oxygen activation of metalloenzymes, metal uptake and transport, and natural products biosynthesis.
Lander, T. Nasar, S. Ochoa, C. LaBonne. (2013) Interactions between Twist and other core epithelial-mesenchymal transition factors are controlled by GSK3-mediated phosphorylation. Nature Communications 4:1542-
Job Titles:
- Teaching Professor of Excellence
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Chairman
- Professor
The Petersen lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie animal regeneration. Tissue repair processes are likely ancient, and this ability is highly exaggerated in planarians and acoels, both of which use adult pluripotent stem cells to regenerate a complex anatomy after any injury, even decapitation. Current work uses the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea and the acoel Hofstenia miamia as model systems for uncovering the basis for whole-body regeneration ability.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Graduate Studies
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Instruction, Weinberg College Advisor )
- Member of Committee
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student, IBiS Student Organization Board Member )
- Member of Committee
The Horvath Lab studies cytokine signal transduction and gene regulation during the human cellular response to virus infections and cancer. Research projects use molecular and biochemical approaches to study the mechanisms underlying cellular recognition of and response to RNA viruses, and the evolution of virus-encoded immune evasion strategies. Gene-specific and genome-wide mechanisms that control transcriptional responses that occur in the infected cell, or during neoplastic transformation, are being investigated.
Job Titles:
- Cancer Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Cancer Research Foundation Runyon - Rachleff Innovation Award
Job Titles:
- New Investigator Award from the Society for Developmental Biology, 2018
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Administrator
Job Titles:
- Research Award of the Endocrine Society
Job Titles:
- Lecturer - German Society of Biochemistry
Job Titles:
- Life Sciences Financial Services Business Administrator
Ginger Gilmore (Life Sciences Financial Services Business Administrator) - will provide advice on HR-related matters and university policies; will not view or be involved in the discussions of submitted concerns
Job Titles:
- Medical Institute Investigator
Research in the Radhakrishnan lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms of eukaryotic transcription regulation with emphasis on how transcription factors engage with DNA, recruit specific coactivators and corepressors via intrinsically disordered transactivation or transrepression domains and how multi-protein coactivator/corepressor-bearing chromatin-modifying complexes assemble and engage with chromatin. We are asking these questions in the context of (i) nuclear receptors that use atypical mechanisms to effect transcriptional activation and (ii) a cohort of related, yet functionally distinct, histone deacetylase (HDAC)-associated chromatin-modifying complexes that fundamentally impact on cellular physiology in eukaryotes.
Job Titles:
- Memorial Fund for Medical Research Fellow
DNA and proteins are non-randomly localized within the nucleus of the cell. The Brickner lab studies how cells control the position of genes within the nucleus, and how gene positioning affects gene expression. When genes are activated or repressed, their position in the nucleus often changes. The lab has identified DNA "zip codes" in the promoters of genes that control their positioning, transcription and, through an epigenetic mechanism, chromatin structure.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student, Diversity in Biological Sciences Board Member )
- Member of Committee
The Mayo laboratory investigates hormone action and signal transduction in the mammalian reproductive axis. We are examining developmental pathways involved in the initial formation and growth of ovarian follicles, and are focusing on the role of Notch signaling in mediating somatic cell - germ cell interactions. We are also studying the dynamic hormonal regulation of gene expression in follicles as they mature and ovulate, with an emphasis on the genes encoding the ovarian hormone inhibin.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- DEI Committee Chair ( Associate
- Member of Committee
The Lackner lab is interested in the fundamental biological question of how spatial and dynamic organization within cells is achieved. As a model for intracellular organization, we study the mechanisms that position organelles. While once thought to operate independently, it is clear that organelles contact other organelles, and the positioning of organelles and the contacts they make play critical roles in a wide variety of cellular functions. The organelle that has been the primary focus of our research is the mitochondrion. Using a combination of cell biological, genetic, and biochemical approaches, we are addressing fundamental questions about the mechanisms used by cells to position mitochondria as well as form and regulate mitochondrial contacts.
The Kelleher lab has three main sub-groups working in the area of Top Down Proteomics, Natural Products Biosynthesis/Discovery, and Chromatin Biology. The core of the group is built around expertise in technology development for complex mixture analysis using Fourier-Transform mass spectrometry for targeted applications in proteomics and natural products chemistry. The Kelleher group has a track record built up involving protein separations, mass spectrometric hardware, and success in software development to harness the value of complex FTMS data with very high mass accuracy.
The Reza Lab uses quantitative microscopy and chemical biology tools to study the dynamics of proteins and how spatial and temporal organization within cells is achieved. Currently, there are two main research directions in the lab: (1) We use single-molecule spectroscopy and biophysical and biochemical methods to study the conformational dynamics of membrane proteins that are responsible for their activation and modulation, with the aim of finding new ways to therapeutically target these proteins. Many projects in the lab have focused on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels. (2) We use microscopy, cell biology and soft matter methodologies investigate how membranelles organelles in cells are assembled, maintained, and reorganized.
Richard F. Gaber is a geneticist with graduate and post doctoral training in yeast genetics and molecular biology. As a microbial geneticist and molecular biologist, his discoveries include:
The transfer of genes between nuclei of the fungus Schizophyllum commune
Identification and analysis of the first eukaryotic potassium transporter, Trk1, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Identification and analysis of the first plant ion channel gene, Kat1
Identification and analysis of Rpd3, a histone deacetylase responsible for genome-wide regulation of gene expression
Identification and analysis of functional relationships between the molecular chaperone Hsp90 and several of its co-chaperones
He served as director of the Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences (IBiS) graduate program from 1998-2001 and as the director of the Program in Biological Sciences from 2004-2017. Gaber received research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation for his work on potassium transport and molecular chaperones in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Job Titles:
- Professor Director, Program in Biological Sciences
Tomasz Wojdyla, Hrishikesh Mehta, Taly Glaubach, Roberto Bertolusso, Marta Iwanaszko*, Rosemary Braun, Seth J Corey, and Marek Kimmel. Mutation, drift and selection in single-driver hematologic malignancy: Example of secondary myelodysplastic syndrome following treatment of inherited neutropenia. PLoS Computational Biology, 15(1):e1006664, 2019.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Director
It is estimated that 10-25% of human embryos are chromosomally abnormal, resulting in a high incidence of miscarriages and birth defects. Most of these abnormalities are the result of chromosome segregation defects in the female reproductive cells (oocytes), yet surprisingly little is known about the biological mechanisms that underlie the vulnerability of oocytes to segregation errors. The Wignall lab is focused on investigating this important problem, by combining high-resolution microscopy with genetic, genomic, and biochemical approaches in the nematode C. elegans. Current work in the lab is focused on two major areas: 1) investigating the molecular mechanisms of spindle assembly in oocytes, and 2) exploring mechanisms of chromosome congression and segregation.
Job Titles:
- MBS Research Administrator
Job Titles:
- Administrative Director NSF Simons Center
Job Titles:
- Biological Imaging Facility Operations Director
The Bao Laboratory strives to elucidate the genomic regulatory mechanisms modulating human adult stem cell maintenance, differentiation, and tissue regeneration. We leverage human skin as the primary research platform, which integrates rapid genetic characterizations with high-throughput genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches.The long-term goal of our group is to elucidate the principles underlying normal tissue homeostasis, generating therapeutic insights into diseases such as cancer.