Faculty Promotions Announced
Faculty promotions were announced at a recent meeting of
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) Board of Directors.
They include:
- Helen Jane Dyson, promoted to full professor in
the Department of Molecular Biology. Dyson (B.Sc., Ph.D.,
University of Sydney), who has been with TSRI since 1984,
has focused her studies on two major themes: the understanding
of how the amino acid sequence of a protein determines its
final folded structure and the understanding of enzyme and
protein function through the study of structure and dynamics.
- David Millar, promoted to associate professor
with tenure in the Department of Molecular Biology. Millar
(B.Sc., Melbourne University; Ph.D., California Institute
of Technology), who began at TSRI in 1987, conducts research
in the area of biophysical chemistry. Millar uses ultra-fast
laser spectroscopy and single molecule fluorescence techniques
to study the mechanisms of action of ribozymes and DNA polymerases,
focusing on dynamic structural changes that underlie the
catalytic activity of these enzymes.
- David S. Goodsell, promoted to associate professor
in the Department of Molecular Biology. Goodsell (B.S.,
University of California, Irvine; Ph.D., University of California,
Los Angeles) first started working at TSRI in 1987. He combines
computer graphics and computational chemistry.
- Michael Robertson, promoted to associate professor
in the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine.
Robertson (B.A., Case Western Reserve University; Ph.D.,
University of Illinois) has been a member of TSRI since
1990. His research focuses on the study of structure-dependent
function of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and the multisubunit
high affinity IgE receptor (FceRI), molecules that are central
components involved in generating common allergic responses
such as hayfever and allergic asthma.
- David Schlaepfer, promoted to associate professor
in the Department of Immunology. Schlaepfer (B.A., Princeton
University; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine), who
has been at TSRI since 1996, studies the role of tyrosine
kinase signaling events promoting cell motility and invasion
with regard to both normal and cancer cell biology. The
emphasis has been elucidating the role of integrin-stimulated
focal adhesion kinase activation.
- Paul Wentworth Jr., promoted to associate professor
in the Department of Chemistry. Wentworth (BSc. and Ph.
D. University of Sheffield, England) has been a member of
TSRI since 1994. His research interests include probing
the chemical biology of the intrinsic oxidation pathway
of immunoglobulins, programmable biocatalysis, and polymer-supported
chemistry.
- Antoine Tabarin, promoted to adjunct associate
professor in the Department of Neuropharmacology. Tabarin
(M.D., University of Bordeaux II), who recently spent a
sabbatical year at TSRI, is also a professor of endocrinology
and metabolic diseases at the University of Bordeaux Medical
School (Bordeaux II) and chair of the Department of Endocrinology
at the University of Bordeaux Hospital. His findings at
TSRI included a knockout of the mu opioid receptor that
causes resistance to the weight gain and neuroendocrine
sequelae that form a premorbid diabetes-like state associated
with ingestion of a high-fat diet.
- Dan J. Von Seggern, promoted to assistant professor
in the Department of Immunology. A member of TSRI since
1994, Von Seggern (B.S., University of Washington, Seattle;
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley) is primarily
interested in improved vectors for gene therapy. He previously
generated a system for retargeting adenovirus, and is now
using the technology to develop therapies for cancer and
for retinal degenerations. A second area of investigation
is receptor usage by the adenovirus family, and its relationship
to the pathologies caused by these viruses.
- Anita D. Wentworth, promoted to assistant professor
in the Department of Chemistry. Wentworth (BSc. and Ph.
D. University of Sheffield, England) has been affiliated
with TSRI since 1997. Her research focuses on the kinetic
and thermodynamic basis of antibody biocatalysis.
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Helen Jane Dyson has been promoted
to full professor. Photo by Jason Socrates Bardi.
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