Dear Netter,
Enclosed below is an ad for a graduate training program that we are initiating
at Penn this year; Applicants should be US citizen or resident, and physics,
chemistry or biology majors who have a strong interest in combining both
molecular genetics and structural biology in plant sciences are particularly
encouraged to apply.
F. Daldal
Plant Science Institute
University of Pennsylvania
Graduate Fellowships in Structural and
Molecular Genetic Studies
Fellowships are available for suitably qualified graduate students to work
with selected members of the Biology, Biochemistry/Biophysics, and
Chemistry Departments at the University of Pennsylvania. This program is
funded by a five year training grant from DOE, NSF, and USDA aimed at
encouraging molecular genetic and structural studies of molecules important
in plant biology. Graduate trainees will participate in a
multidisciplinary program in plant signal and energy transduction that will
include coursework in plant molecular genetics, biological chemistry, and
molecular biophysics. In addition to their coursework, students will have
the opportunity to rotate in research laboratories within the three
above-mentioned departments prior to pursuing a thesis topic within a
chosen laboratory. Students will graduate with a degree from one of these
departments. By this mechanism students will obtain a uniquely diverse
training in plant science encompassing structural, biochemical and
biophysical, as well as molecular and genetic approaches. Students with a
basic interest in either chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, or molecular
genetics, and interested in problems in plant science are strongly
encouraged to apply. The departmental affiliation and research interests
of the faculty associated with this program are:
Andrew Binns (Biology): Agrobacterium-plant cell and plant hormone
interactions
Anthony Cashmore (Biology): Photoregulatory signal transduction
Barry Cooperman (Chemistry): Protein structure/function studies
David Christianson (Chemistry): Protein crystallographic studies
Fevzi Daldal (Biology): Photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport
Leslie Dutton (Biochemistry/Biophysics): Biophysical studies of biological
electron transfer
Joseph Ecker (Biology): Hormone signal transduction and plant genome
analysis
Robin Hochstrasser (Chemistry): Laser Studies of Protein Dynamics
Mitchell Lewis (Biochemistry/Biophysics): Protein crystallographic studies
Ponzy Lu (Chemistry): NMR studies of protein-DNA complexes
Tomoko Ohnishi (Biochemistry/Biophysics): Mitochondrial electron and
proton transfer
Stanley Opella (Chemistry): NMR studies of membrane proteins
Scott Poethig (Biology): Genetic analysis of plant development
Philip Rea (Biology): Energy-dependent transport across plant membranes
Dan Robertson (Biochemistry/Biophysics): Flavin- and cytochrome-mediated
electron transfer
Michael Therien (Chemistry): Electron transfer and biological
chromophores
Jane Vanderkooi (Biochemistry/Biophysics): Protein-chromophore
interactions and electron transfer
Jeffrey Winkler (Chemistry): Synthesis of natural products
FACILITIES
Facilities available to students pursuing this program include: greenhouses
and extensive controlled-environment plant growth rooms, DNA- and
protein-synthesis and sequencing facilities, the latest in NMR and
crystallographic facilities, ultrafast laser technology for the study of
protein dynamics.
FINANCIAL AID
Research assistantships will provide for qualified students full tuition,
medical insurance and a stipend (currently $14,500/annum). Fellowship
recipients must be citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the U.S.
Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For further information and application forms either: 1) write to: Dr.
Anthony R. Cashmore, Director, Plant Science Institute, Graduate
Fellowships in Plant Science, Department of Biology, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018; or 2) send email to
cashmore at sas.upenn.edu; or 3) send fax to 215-898-8780.
