Opportunities
in the Raushel Group
Numerous
opportunities are available for prospective postdoctoral associates,
graduate
students, and undergraduate scholars. The laboratory is currently
located on
the fifth floor of the New Chemistry Building where we occupy
approximately
4,000 sq. ft. of useable space consisting of offices, instrument rooms
and
chemical preparation areas, including a dedicated cold room for enzyme
preparation. We are equipped with the latest instrumentation for the
isolation
of recombinant proteins, recombinant DNA technology, steady state and
transient
kinetic analyses, and our own
computer graphics
facility. The laboratory is currently funded by the Robert A. Welch
Foundation,
and the National Institutes of Health. The group usually consists of an
even
distribution of graduate students and postdoctoral associates. We
strive to
have 1-3 undergraduate scholars in the laboratory throughout the year.
Postdoctoral
Associates
Applicants
for postdoctoral associate positions are accepted at any time. However,
we
would appreciate receiving inquiries 6-12 months prior to the
anticipated start
date. Domestic
scientists are
encouraged, but not required, to apply for NIH and NSF fellowship
awards. The
duration of postdoctoral positions is usually two to three years. Full
medical
coverage is included as part of the employment package.
To
apply, please send a resume and a list of publications and
presentations. In
the cover letter describe your background and the type of research
project you
are interested in pursuing.
Provide
the names and email addresses of your doctoral advisor and at least one
other
person acquainted with your scientific background and accomplishments.
Applications should be sent via mail, fax, or email to the following
address:
|
Frank
M. Raushel Dept. of Chemistry Texas A&M University P.O. Box 30012 College Station, Texas 77842-3012 Fax: 979-845-9452 (secure) Email: raushel@tamu.edu |
Applications
are
solicited in the following areas.
- Evolution
of new active sites
- Enzyme
reaction mechanisms
- Enzyme
function discovery
- Steady
state and transient kinetics
- Magnetic
Resonance
- Protein
Structure Analyses
Graduate
Students
Nearly
all of the graduate students in our laboratory enter Texas A&M
through the Department of
Chemistry or the Department
of
Biochemistry and Biophysics. My primary
appointment and laboratory are physically located in the Department
of
Chemistry but I have a joint appointment with
the Department
of
Biochemistry and
Biophysics.
Please
check the sites associated with these programs for additional
information. Research
projects are currently available to
study all aspects of enzyme structure and function. We are particularly
interested in applying genomic information to manipulate the catalytic
activities of wild type enzymes
to create new
catalysts with novel activities and the discovery of new catalytic
activities.
Laboratory
rotations are available to learn the techniques of site-directed
mutagenesis,
protein crystallization, rapid kinetic analysis, molecular modeling,
chemo-enzymatic synthesis, inhibitor design and characterization, and
protein
purification.
Undergraduate
Scholars
Undergraduate
students are most welcome. Opportunities abound for those undergraduate
students who want to learn the latest experimental techniques in
protein and
bioorganic chemistry, site-directed and combinatorial mutagenesis, and
the
synthesis of novel enzyme substrates and inhibitors. Preference is
given to
those Texas A&M students who are willing to conduct research in
their
junior and senior years. Financial support for one or two students are
available from a grant from the Robert A. Welch
Foundation. Prospective students wanting to earn
credit for 485 or
491 should have taken organic chemistry (CHEM 227 and CHEM 228).