Pilot Project Leaders
Current Pilot Projects
Travis S. Hughes
Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Investigating the formation of biomolecular condensates of nuclear receptors and their cofactors
J. Stephen Lodmell
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structural and phenotypic characterization of the ubiquitin binding domain of RIOK3
Beverly J. Piggott
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Ca2+ dependent mechanisms of stem cell development
Andrew R. Rau
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: The role of SST cell dendritic spines in fear memory acquisition and extinction
Previously funded
Klara Briknarova
Department of Chemistry
Research area: CryoEM and crystallographic studies of fibronectin
Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics
Research area: Interaction between NCS1 and Resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase 8a
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Research area: Role of Pf phage protein PfsE in modulating Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Research area: Measuring biases in the denatured state ensemble of the three-helix bundle fold
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Molecular Specificity of System Xc- Substrates
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Sarj Patel, Dept of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Structure-function of the system xc- glutamate/cystine exchanger: Identification of xct residues participating in binding and translocation
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Resolving the subunit composition of NMDA receptors in live cells
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Calcium Sensors for Vesicle Trafficking in the Early Secretory Pathway
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Determination of the “off” structural state of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ)
Research area: "Sugar-coated" multi-drug resistant bacteria as a source of new antimicrobial targets
Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Director, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience
Research area: Biophysical mechanisms of glutamate transport
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: The role of Tra2-β1 in splice site selection during RVFV infection
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Characterization of virus-triggered isoforms of RIOK3, a host antiviral protein
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Mechanism of novel inhibitors of Rift Valley fever virus nucleocapsid-RNA interactions
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Co-Project Leader: Kent Sugden, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Co-Project Leader: Katie Hailer, Department of Chemistry, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
Research area: The role of the endonuclease VIII (nei) operon in processing of DNA damage and cell survival
Michele McGuirl
Division of Biological Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Lara M. Taubner, Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structural and physiologic consequences of native post-translational modifications of the prion protein: a mechanism for toxicity
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structural and functional analysis of a unique, metal-binding surface protein of Coxiella burnetii
Tung-Chung Mou
Division of Biological Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Chuck Thompson
Research area: Structural Mechanism and Functional Analysis of Vesicular Glutamate Transporter Isoform 2 (VGLUT2)
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Arenavirus envelope glycoprotein nanodiscs for cryoEM structural analysis
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structural analysis of the Lassa virus (LASV) envelope glycoprotein
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research area: Nanodisc Affinity Capillary Electrophoresis: Characterizing binding to lipid bilayers
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structure-function analysis of a cytomegalovirus CC chemokine
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Crystallographic studies on the UL98 gene nuclease of human cytomegalovirus
Research area: Development of multivalent β-1,3-glucan dendrimers as Dectin-1 agonists
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research area: TLR4 Agonist/Antagonist Binding in Murine TLR4/MD2 Receptor Complex
Research area: Structural characterization of glycoprotein H from human cytomegalovirus
Department of Computer Science
Research area: Graphical models for genomics and proteomics
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: The interplay between the silk fibroin (SF) protein structure and its adhesive properties
Dept. of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Donald Stierle, Dept. of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Teri Girtsman, Dept. of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: The use of caspase-1 inhibition and the mitigation of interleukin-1β production by induced inflammasomes to isolate compounds with anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity from symbiotic bacteria of the human gut microbiome
Celestine J. Thomas
Division of Biological Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Jack Nunberg, Montana Biotechnology Center
Research area: Characterization of liposome fusion by a fusion-active Arenavirus envelope glycoprotein
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Dissecting the determinants of phase separation and function of stem cell regulator FBF-2
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Protein complex assembly between signalosome subunit CSN-5 and stem cell regulators FBF-1 and FBF-2
Department of Computer Science
Research area: Reducing false sequence annotation due to alignment overextension and repeats
Orion Berryman
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research area: Synthetic Anion Transporters Utilizing Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen Bonds
Bruce E. Bowler
Department of Chemistry & BiochemistryResearch area: Measuring biases in the denatured state ensemble of the three-helix bundle fold
Richard Bridges
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Molecular Specificity of System Xc- Substrates
Richard Bridges
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Sarj Patel, Dept of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Structure-function of the system xc- glutamate/cystine exchanger: Identification of
Kasper Hansen
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Resolving the subunit composition of NMDA receptors in live cells
Jesse Hay
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Calcium Sensors for Vesicle Trafficking in the Early Secretory Pathway
Travis Hughes
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: Determination of the “off” structural state of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ)
Michael Kavanaugh
Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Director, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience
Research area: Biophysical mechanisms of glutamate transport
J. Stephen Lodmell
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: The role of Tra2-β1 in splice site selection during RVFV infection
J. Stephen Lodmell
Division of Biological SciencesResearch area: Characterization of virus-triggered isoforms of RIOK3, a host antiviral protein
J. Stephen Lodmell
Division of Biological SciencesResearch area: Mechanism of novel inhibitors of Rift Valley fever virus nucleocapsid-RNA interactions
Brooke Martin
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Co-Project Leader: Kent Sugden, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Co-Project Leader: Katie Hailer, Department of Chemistry, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
Research area: The role of the endonuclease VIII (
Michele McGuirl
Division of Biological Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Lara M. Taubner, Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structural and physiologic consequences of native post-translational modifications of the prion protein: a mechanism for toxicity
Michael F. Minnick
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structural and functional analysis of a unique, metal-binding surface protein of Coxiella
Tung-Chung Mou
Division of Biological Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Chuck Thompson
Research area: Structural Mechanism and Functional Analysis of Vesicular Glutamate Transporter Isoform 2 (VGLUT2)
Jack Nunberg
Division of Biological SciencesResearch area: Arenavirus envelope glycoprotein nanodiscs for cryoEM structural analysis
Jack Nunberg
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structural analysis of the Lassa virus (LASV) envelope glycoprotein
Christopher Palmer
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research area: Nanodisc Affinity Capillary Electrophoresis: Characterizing binding to lipid bilayers
Brent Ryckman
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Structure-function analysis of a cytomegalovirus CC chemokine
Kendal Ryter
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Research area: TLR4 Agonist/Antagonist Binding in Murine TLR4/MD2 Receptor Complex
Oliver Serang
Department of Computer Science
Research area: Graphical models for genomics and proteomics
Monica Serban
Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: The interplay between the silk fibroin (SF) protein structure and its adhesive properties
Andrea Stierle
Dept. of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Donald Stierle, Dept. of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Teri Girtsman, Dept. of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research area: The use of caspase-1 inhibition and the mitigation of interleukin-1β production by induced inflammasomes to isolate compounds with anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity from symbiotic bacteria of the human gut microbiome
Celestine J. Thomas
Division of Biological Sciences
Co-Project Leader: Jack Nunberg, Montana Biotechnology Center
Research area: Characterization of liposome fusion by a fusion-active Arenavirus envelope glycoprotein
Ekaterina Voronina
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Dissecting the determinants of phase separation and function of stem cell regulator FBF-2
Ekaterina Voronina
Division of Biological Sciences
Research area: Protein complex assembly between signalosome subunit CSN-5 and stem cell regulators FBF-1 and FBF-2
Travis Wheeler
Department of Computer ScienceResearch area: Reducing false sequence annotation due to alignment overextension and repeats