The field of biophysics seeks to discover the structural and energetic properties of molecules and their assemblies, and to relate these properties to biochemical and cellular function. Biophysicists study biological organization and dynamics over a wide range of length and time scales: from angstroms to microns and from picoseconds to hours (and ultimately to evolutionary time).

Faculty in the newly founded Department of Biophysics at UT Southwestern Medical Center apply this approach to problems in cell biology (cytoskeletal architecture and dynamics, vesicle trafficking), signal transduction (kinase cascades, phototransduction, G-protein coupled receptor pathways, lipid regulatory pathways), and the evolution of protein sequence and structure. We apply tools ranging from structural biology, including x-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy, to computational biology to modern imaging methods.

Students and postdocs in the department are often multidisciplinary thinkers, and join or participate in diverse graduate programs including Molecular Biophysics, Biological Chemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Molecular Microbiology. Faculty in the department are deeply committed to the scientific and professional development of our lab members, and actively participate in these graduate programs, and also in courses in UT Southwestern Medical School.

The intellectual atmosphere in the department is vibrant and supportive. Two monthly seminar series are closely associated with the department: a departmental series and a monthly discussion group organized by the Molecular Biophysics graduate program. We also maintain close ties with the Department of Biochemistry, with whom we have a joint annual retreat.

We anticipate substantial future growth of the Department, and plan to hold faculty searches on a yearly basis for some time. Interested candidates are encouraged to reply to advertisements posted in the fall, and/or contact Department Chair Michael Rosen, Ph.D., directly.