University of Virginia Graduate Program

The University of Virginia seeks outstanding candidates for the graduate program in chemistry and biochemistry (http://chem.virginia.edu). The program combines a university-wide tradition of excellence with a diverse graduate research program, thereby offering outstanding educational opportunities. The historic Charlottesville area is a scenic environ which provides an
excellent quality of life (http://www.charlottesville.org). In addition to research opportunities in all areas of chemistry -- including many exciting cross-disciplinary research programs -- our graduate students have access to state-of-the art research instrumentation. For example, our department offers a first-class NMR facility, a small-molecule X-ray diffraction and molecular modeling facility, access to synchrotron X-ray facilities via SER-CAT, superb mass spectrometry facilities, and a support staff that maintains instrumentation and provides students with
detailed training. Several members of our faculty are cross-appointed with other departments, including those of Pharmacology, Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, Pathology, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, which provides a rich and diverse environment for graduate student training. Exciting recent developments include
funding for two large research centers: a DOE-funded Center for Catalytic Hydrocarbon Functionalization, and an NSF-funded Center for Chemistry of the Universe.

Our research-active faculty includes six chaired positions, consisting of the Commonwealth Professor, the Alfred Burger Professor of Chemistry, the University Professor, the Thomas Jefferson Professorship, and the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor. In addition, several new faculty recently have been recruited to our department, including Jason Chruma (Asst Prof, synthetic methodology & bioorganic), Linda Columbus (Asst Prof, structural biology & biophysical chemistry), Brent Gunnoe (Prof, organometallic chemistry & homogeneous catalysis), Kevin Lehmann (Prof, physical chemistry & spectroscopy), Cameron Mura (Asst Prof, structural biology & biophysical chemistry), Jill Venton (Asst Prof, analytical neurochemistry) and John Yates, Jr. (Prof, member National Academy of the Sciences, physical chemistry & spectroscopy). The combination of exceptional facilities and respected faculty provide an exciting research community in which students can grow into independent and creative scientists, while gaining the experience and skills necessary to excel in major chemical industries as well as in government, national lab, and academic settings.

Specific research programs in the fields of biochemistry and structural biology include:

* A long-term program centered on magnetic resonance studies of protein dynamics and hydration (Bryant lab)

* Efforts aimed at understanding membrane protein structure and dynamics via NMR and EPR spectroscopic methods, as well as X-ray crystallography and biophysical methods (Cafiso, Columbus labs)

* A sustained focus on the development of mass-spectrometric methods for proteomics (Hunt lab)

* Research aimed at understanding the structure, function, and evolution of protein/RNA complexes via experimental (e.g.,crystallography) and computational (e.g., MD simulations)
approaches in the Mura lab

We provide all of our full-time graduate students with teaching or research assistantships, as well as tuition and health insurance at no expense to the student. Please note that domestic applicants are not required to pay an application fee. Applicants who have been admitted to our program are invited to visit our department, with expenses covered by us. More information about our department and individual faculty research interests can be found online at:

http://chem.virginia.edu

Should any potentially interested students have questions about our program or the application process, please encourage them to contact either Ms. Susie Marshall (sem8h@virginia.edu; tel: 434-924-7014) or Prof Brent Gunnoe (tbg7h@virginia.edu). In addition, potential applicants
interested in computational or biological areas (biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, structural biology, bioinformatics, etc.) should feel free to contact Dr. Cameron Mura (a Tech alum!) at cmura@virginia.edu.