Research Summary
My research lab develops cutting-edge interactive software tools and advanced web-based computational resources that provide integrated visualizations and analyses of molecular structures and related non-structural biological information. Our tools can be applied to diverse types of biomolecular data, including atomic-resolution coordinates, 3D density maps and light microscopy data, and protein and nucleic acid sequences, annotations, and networks. We focus on unmet software needs for basic and applied biomedical research using highly trained and talented staff, with excellent interdisciplinary knowledge and specialized, state-of-the-art expertise in software engineering, computer graphics visualization, and data analysis. Our primary efforts are in the interactive visualization and analysis of structures of molecules and molecular assemblies, protein sequence-structure-function relationships, and network representations of protein similarity, binding interactions, and biological pathways. These areas are critical for addressing important and highly relevant biomedical problems such as identifying the molecular bases of disease, identifying targets for drug development, designing drugs, and engineering proteins with new functions.
Research Funding
July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2022 - ChimeraX -- Next Generation Visualization and Analysis Software for Multiscale Modeling , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH/NIGMS, Sponsor Award ID: R01GM129325
July 15, 2015 - June 30, 2020 - PGRN Administrative Coordination Hub , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH/NIGMS, Sponsor Award ID: U24GM115370
April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020 - 3D Projector for Group Visualizations of Cellular and Molecular Structures , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: UCSF Strategic Initiatives, Sponsor Award ID: N/A
August 1, 2018 - July 31, 2019 - Interactive 3D Analysis of Molecules and Cells in Virtual Reality , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research (PBBR), Sponsor Award ID: N/A
Education
University of Minnesota, B.S., 1971
University of California San Francisco, Ph.D., 1986, Med. Info. Science