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Biophysics
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A molecular model
showing the synaptic vesicle fusion machinery. On the left the
assembled SNARE complex containing the (vesicle-)membrane protein
synaptobrevin (blue), the two plasma membrane proteins SNAP25 (green)
and syntaxin (red) as well as complexin (purple). On the right the
calcium sensor for fusion synaptotagmin with its two C2 domains Courtesy of Volker Kiessling and Lukas Tamm. |
Students of Biophysics, although from varied backgrounds, share a common intellectual goal of understanding the physical and chemical basis of complex biological processes and this quantitative perspective sets them apart from cell and molecular biologists.
They apply biophysical approaches to address the mechanisms of biological processes occurring at every level and across many fields from the theoretical to the experimental.
The Biophysics Graduate Program at the University of Virginia is one of the oldest in the country and was founded by Professor Jesse Beams who made major contributions to development of the modern ultra centrifuge. We employ a wide range of experimental and computational approaches in a highly interactive and multidisciplinary environment.
We have particular strengths in the study of membranes, which are of fundamental importance for biological systems.
They provide for cellular compartmentalization and control of the internal cell environment, they are sites for energy transduction and signaling, and many regulatory processes take place at membrane surfaces.
