The University of Montana is located in Missoula in the heart of western Montana’s Rocky Mountain grandeur at the confluence of three major rivers. It is surrounded by national forests, and is near Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. It has unparalleled access to outdoor recreation including fishing, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, cross-country and downhill skiing. Missoula is a cultural hub with a thriving downtown filled with coffeehouses, nightclubs, pubs and restaurants serving everything from steak to sushi.

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Center for Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics

Understanding the molecular basis of life is a central goal of modern biochemistry. Toward this objective, the Center for Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics (CBSD) at The University of Montana brings together researchers from a broad array of disciplines to promote collaborative research at the leading edge of structural biology and physical biochemistry.

Center director, Professor Stephen Sprang, leads this effort, which encompasses more than 25 laboratories from the Division of Biological Sciences, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The CBSD supports multi-user instrumentation facilities, multi-laboratory research meetings and a seminar series that brings leading scientists in the field of structural biology to The University of Montana. The CBSD fosters a truly rich research environment for our graduate program in Biochemistry & Biophysics.

& Biochemistry Biophysics

Graduate Program

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Facilities• Murdock DNA Sequencing Facility for rapid-

turnaround sequencing.

• BioSpectroscopy Core Research Facility with femto- and picosecond lasers and single-molecule fluorescence capabilities.

• NMR Core Research Facility with 500 and 600 MHz multichannel pulsed-field gradient spectrometers and cold probe technologies.

• Macromolecular X-ray Diffraction Core Research Facility with Rigaku rotating anode X-ray generator and area detector.

• Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Core Research Facility with MALDI-TOF, nano-LC-QTOF, ICP and LCT mass spectrometers.

• Molecular Computational Core Research Facility for homology modeling, Monte Carlo calculations, molecular dynamics simulations, docking, etc.

Faculty ResearchBruce Bowler, Professor, DirectorProtein folding, protein denatured states, protein dynamics, conformationally-gated electron transfer reactions.

Klara Briknarova, Assistant ProfessorProtein structure and function, biomolecular NMR spectroscopy.

Stephen Lodmell, ProfessorRNA structure and dynamics, RNA-protein interactions, virus regulation, translational control, antiviral therapeutics.

Michele McGuirl, Associate ProfessorPrion protein/amyloid structure, copper protein structure and function, protein-mediated electron transfer.

Doug Raiford, Assistant ProfessorBioinformatics, RNA secondary structure identification, metagenomic data analysis, sequence analysis using non-alignment techniques.

J.B. Alexander (Sandy) Ross, ProfessorDynamics and interactions of biological molecules and assemblies using time-resolved and single-molecule spectroscopies.

Brent Ryckman, Assistant Professor Molecular virology. Focus on interactions among herpesvirus envelope glycoproteins that mediate attachment and entry into different cell types.

Scott Samuels, ProfessorGene regulation, bacterial pathogenesis, RNA biology, DNA-protein interactions, topoisomerases, antibiotic resistance.

Valeriy Smirnov, Assistant ProfessorMechanisms of metalloenzymes, activation of dioxygen, proton-coupled electron transfer, isotope effects in metabolic and environmental processes.

Stephen Sprang, Professor, Director, CBSDMolecular structural and biochemical properties of G protein signaling mechanisms

Kent Sugden, ProfessorDNA damage and repair, metal toxicology, bioanalytical mass spectrometry, epigenetics.

Graduate research may also be pursued with more than 15 additional faculty affiliated with the Center for Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics.

For more information on the Ph.D. program, please visit our web site: http://www.cas.umt.edu/biomolecular/Or contact Bruce E. Bowler, Director, Biochemistry Program: bruce.bowler@umontana.edu

Graduate Program The M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biochemistry & Biophysics provide rigorous training for those who want to work at the interface of the biological and physical sciences to probe the molecular basis of life.

The foundation of the program is a core curriculum centered on:

• Nucleic Acid & Protein Biochemistry• Biophysical Chemistry• Cellular Biochemistry

Students benefit from the focused and highly personal interdisciplinary atmosphere created by the faculty in the Biochemistry Program and faculty in the related programs in Chemistry, Biology and Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The CBSD Seminar Program attracts leading biophysicists and structural biologists to share their latest research and insights. Chemistry, Biology and Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences also sponsor weekly research seminars providing for a rich learning environment at the interface of biology and the physical sciences.