Congratulations to Drake Jensen for being named the 2016 Gary K. Ackers Fellow

Mr. Jensen received his B.A. in Chemistry and B.S. in Biology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2013. During this time, he began pursuing research in equilibrium and kinetic studies of Calmodulin target recognition. After graduation he continued research in the same lab and graduated in 2015 with a M.S. in Chemistry. He joined the Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Washington University the same year as part of the Computational & Molecular Biophysics program.

Mr. Jensen is pursuing his thesis work under the mentorship Dr. Eric Galburt in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. Here, he evaluates mycobacterial transcription mechanisms using ensemble and single-molecule biophysical methods. His work will be focused on two essential mycobacterial RNA Polymerase- and DNA-binding proteins termed CarD and RbpA, that have been characterized as transcription activators. Following graduation, Drake plans to pursue post-doctoral positions

The Ackers Fellowship award provides funds for educational expenses.

The Ackers Fellowship was funded by Dr. Paul Darling III, who studied in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences and graduated in 1999. Dr. Ackers served as the thesis advisor for Dr. Darling.

To learn about Dr. Gary A. Ackers, please click here.