BPS is pleased to announce the inaugural class of the Ambassador Program. The Program endeavors to create a network of BPS members that will help grow the biophysics community around the globe and further develop our advocacy efforts around the world. The inaugural class consists of biophysicists from Canada, India, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

 

John Baenziger

Professor of Biochemistry, University of Ottawa, Canada

Baenziger teaches courses on protein structure and function and runs an active research program studying the structures and mechanisms underlying the allosteric modulation of ligand-gated ion channels.  Baenziger is very active in the Biophysical Society of Canada (BSC); BSC supports an annual congress, networking events, and newsletters, which recognizes the scientific achievements of their members.  Through the BSC, Baenziger has been particularly active in the promotion of the careers of trainees by advocating for both trainee travel and merit awards.  His main goal as a BPS Ambassador is to create stronger links between the BSC and BPS to promote biophysics, with a particular focus on fostering better opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

 

Samrat Mukhopadhyay

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, India

Mukhopadhyay’s lab at IISER is involved in studying the key molecular characteristics of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) by utilizing a diverse array of approaches involving biophysics, biochemistry, molecular-, cellular-, and chemical biology, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, super-resolution imaging, single-molecule, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Mukhopadhyay aims at delineating the molecular mechanism of amyloid formation and liquid-liquid phase separation of various IDPs. The BPS Ambassador Program will allow him to engage with a larger section of younger students and established biophysicists from both India and overseas and will allow me to promote biophysics research, education, and outreach.

 

Nuno C. Santos

Professor and Head of the Biomembranes & Nanomedicine Unit at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Lisbon Medical School, Portugal

Santos’ research work spans peptide/protein-membrane interactions, nanobiophysics, infectious and cardiovascular diseases. He is the President of the Portuguese Biophysical Society since 2015. Santos has been a member of BPS since 1997; during these years, he had the pleasure of participating in several BPS Annual Meetings. As BPS Ambassador, Santos would like to promote Biophysics and the BPS activities, not only in Portugal, but also on some developing countries with whom I have been cooperating.

 

Olwyn Byron

Professor of Biophysics at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Byron’s role consists of a traditional mix of teaching, administration and research.  Her research focuses on meso-resolution solution state molecular biophysics and the tools she uses are analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), small angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS, SANS) and hydrodynamic bead modelling (HBM).  Byron currently serves as Chair of the British Biophysical Society (BBS) and one of her goals as a BPS Ambassador is to strengthen the links between the two societies.  Byron also plans to capture UK Biophysics activities in at least one annual article for BPS and to continue to organize Biophysics Week events and encourage BBS members to do likewise.