ACA USND Presidential Candidate 2021: Tamir Gonen 

Investigator Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Professor of Biological Chemistry and Physiology
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

Education

BSc (First Class Honors) University of Auckland, New Zealand 1999
PhD University of Auckland, New Zealand 2002
Postdoctoral Fellow Harvard Medical School 2002-2005

Professional Activities

HHMI Early Career Scientist 2009; HHMI Group Leader 2011-2017; HHMI Investigator 2017 – current; Chair Elect, Biophysical Society CryoEM subgroup 2018; Chair/Co-chair ACA-MicroED session 2019, 2020, 2021; ACA- Complementary Methods Co Chair; ACA-membership experience committee 2018; Member, Royal Society of New Zealand 2012-current; Reviewer for several Journals and major finding agencies nationally and internationally; Organizer of an annual MicroED course and summit; Director MicroED Imaging Center at UCLA.

Research Interests

Membrane biophysics, mechanisms of membrane transport, homeostasis, amino acid uptake, cryoEM, MicroED method development, instrumentation, algorithms, crystallography (X-ray and electron).

Statement

I am a membrane biophysicist and an expert in cryoEM and X-ray crystallography. My research focuses on the application of cutting-edge structural biology techniques to understanding the function of membrane channels and transporters that are important for cellular homeostasis. In 2011 we began developing a new method for structural biology called MicroED, or Microcrystal Electron Diffraction. With this method, we pushed the boundaries of cryoEM and determined several previously unknown structures at resolutions better than 1Å. Because MicroED is a hybrid method between X-ray crystallography and cryoEM we are faced with the same challenges and opportunities as both fields.

Ii would be an honor to continue serving as the president of the USND. I believe that outreach and education are critical and are some of the most important activities that we should engage in and in my capacity as president of the USND I already initiated several programs. The environment at the ACA meetings is second to none and I see this as a prime location for both outreach and education. The conference size is perfect to allow students, postdocs, professionals and professors to interact, exchange ideas and make new long lasting connections in a somewhat informal and welcoming atmosphere. I attended the ACA meetings many times in different capacity and it is always an event I look forward to. I have organized several conferences, workshops and courses focusing on Challenges in structural biology, MicroED and membrane proteins in the past and have been organizing and chairing sessions at the biophysical society and the ACA several times. This experience taught me that planning is critical for a successful meeting.

I believe that we have exciting opportunities for merging seminars and workshops from various fields of structural biology such as cryoEM, MicroED and X-ray crystallography in upcoming meetings of the ACA in biological structure, small molecule and inorganic materials research. If selected, I will work to help change mindsets in funding agencies so that funding would become available specifically for outreach and education purposes which can be secured from several federal funding agencies including the NIH, NSF, DOE and DOD although a concerted effort must be made.