Plant Biochemistry & Physiology

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITION:
Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis

EDUCATION:
• 1987 PhD Stanford University, Biology
• 1981 MA University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Botany
• 1977 BA Washington University, Biology

MEMBERSHIPS:
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• American Society of Plant Biologists
• Genetics Society of America
• International Society for Plant Molecular Biologists
• The American Society for Cell Biologists

AWARDS:
• Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science 2002
• National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Faculty Award, 1991-1996
• NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Plant Biology, 1987-1989
• NIH Predoctoral Trainee, 1981-1983
• Paul K and Ruth R Stumpf Endowed Chair in Plant Biochemistry
• Davis Division of Academic Senate Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award 2008-2009
• ASUCD Excellence in Education Award, 2004

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
The ubiquitin pathway is a protein modification pathway, whereby the protein ubiquitin is covalently attached to other proteins. This alters the longevity, activity or localization of the ubiquitinated protein. We are interested in understanding the specificity and regulation of the ubiquitin pathway. We try to understand how proteins are recruited to the ubiquitinating enzymes. There are a large number of ubiquitinating enzymes whose functions are not known. We are taking a reverse genetics approach to understand the function of RING E3 ligases which interact with substrate proteins and catalyze ubiquitin transfer. We also study a ubiquitin-like protein, RUB, for Related to UBiquitin, and are trying to identify RUB-modified proteins in plants. We use a variety of techniques – biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics.