Research Interests

I have a broad background in ion channel structural biology and functional characterization. My interest in the physical chemistry of biological phenomena began with my undergraduate study in biophysics and biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. As a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at MIT with Prof. Peter S. Kim, I focused on understanding the basic principles of protein folding and molecular interactions. While at MIT, I developed a keen interest in the proteins involved in electrical signaling. To pursue this interest, I worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Nigel Unwin at the LMB Cambridge and with Prof. Lily Y. Jan at UCSF where I was able to apply my background in structural biology to specific questions regarding ion channel structure and regulation. As a PI, I have focused my laboratory’s efforts on structural and mechanistic understanding of ion channels and in the development of new pharmacological tools for orphaned channel classes. My lab is pursing a research program that combines structural biology, ion channel functional studies, and chemical biology approaches to develop new channel pharmacologies. I am a Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, an Investigator in the Cardiovascular Research Institute at UCSF, and a Faculty Scientist at LBNL. My laboratory has made many contributions to the structural understanding of the function of various classes of ion channels and development of new channel modulators using a multidisciplinary approach employing genetic selections, biophysical approaches, chemical biology, and X-ray crystallography.