SAB NewsSAB Member Focus: Two recent contest winners weigh-inPosted 5/18/2006 The Science Advisory Board recently awarded ten $100 American Express Gift Cheques in a random drawing of participants from the recent Life Science Industry Awards study. Among the winners were Albert Bolhuis, Ph.D. and Syed Zulfiqar Ali Naqvi. We thought it would be interesting to find out more about these two scientists and contacted them to ask a few questions about their careers and their experience with The Science Advisory Board. Albert Bolhuis is a Royal Society Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom where he works in the Department of Biological Sciences. Dr. Bolhuis received his Ph.D. from the University of Gronigen in The Netherlands, concentrating on protein transport in the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. After receiving his Ph.D., he went to work at the University of Warwick on a long-term European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) fellowship. At that time his efforts centered on the study of protein transport in Escherichia coli. In 2001, he received a Royal Society Research Fellowship that enabled him to set up his own group to study the various protein translocation pathways in archaeans. Archaeans are single-celled life forms that are part of the Prokaryotes group. These single-celled creatures, along with bacteria, are unique in that their genetic material is not enclosed in a central cellular compartment or nucleus. According to Dr. Bolhuis, “I became interested in archaea because many thrive in extreme environments, although it should be noted that archaea are found everywhere and make up a substantial part of the biomass on earth. Proteins from these extremophiles have adapted by becoming more compact and rigid in structure. However, cellular processes such as protein translocation require considerable flexibility, and it is therefore interesting to know how these processes work in archaea.” A member of The Science Advisory Board since 2001, Dr. Bolhuis finds the protocols section to be very useful in his work. When asked if he had any plans for spending the gift certificate he received, he replied “I’ll probably buy some DVDs for the kids; it keeps them quiet when I want to work at home.” Syed Zulfiqar Ali Naqvi is enrolled in the Ph.D. program in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Karachi, Pakistan. His area of research includes both Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. He is studying the underlying mechanisms surrounding the differential gene and protein expression during corneal epithelial wound healing. In addition to his work at the University of Karachi, Syed is a Senior Research Officer in the Biosafety Laboratory Research Office at the Aga Khan University and Hospital. The Research Office provides core facilities for many cell and tissue techniques in biochemistry, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology. Syed has been honored with numerous first prize awards for his poster presentations. In 2005, he won first prize in the poster competition at the 9th International Symposium on Protein Structure Function Relationship for his poster entitled “Identification of Antimicrobial Peptides in the Matrix of Calcium Oxalate (CaOx) Renal Stones.” When asked how The Science Advisory Board has helped him in his research, Syed commented, “If I don’t have experience in a particular experiment, I read various protocols as well as suggestions on The Science Advisory Board discussion forum. I also give suggestions to other scientists if there is a query regarding my field of expertise.” Syed indicated that he plans to use his gift certificate to purchase some antibodies and chemicals for some of his experiments, as well as buying some protocols or books. |
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