Abstract

Metals and other inorganic elements are central to the chemistry of life. Nature utilizes precisely tuned metal-containing active sites to accomplish the multitude of challenging chemical transformations that sustain life and keep global atom economies in balance. Accordingly, bioinorganic chemistry is a complex interplay of many subdisciplines that seek to understand metal transport/homeostasis, cofactor biosynthesis, small molecule activation, and generation of reactive intermediates. The key tools and methods that drive metallobiochemistry forward – spectroscopy, imaging, enzymatics, protein engineering, synthetic modeling, computationally-guided approaches – are constantly evolving and motivating progress in advanced biomedical, therapeutic, and environmental applications. This Gordon Research Seminar will focus on highlighting early career researchers that are making contributions in the broad aforementioned disciplines. We are seeking to populate the presentation slots with recently published and exciting unpublished work. We do not limit the focus to those directly doing bioinorganic chemistry but would like representation from those that have stories that can contribute to and build the field of bioinorganic chemistry. Now in its 24th year, the Bioinorganic Chemistry GRS is designed to supplement the routinely oversubscribed Metals in Biology Gordon Research Conference (GRC). This meeting will provide a forum for early career scientists at the graduate and postdoctoral levels to present their research in a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary setting. A joint session with the Metals in Biology GRC, along with a diverse selection of expert discussion leaders from the bioinorganic community, will provide valuable networking opportunities for all attendees. Given the enduring popularity of this GRS, we anticipate that this year-s meeting will be oversubscribed. Prospective attendees (graduate students, postdocs, and researchers at a comparable career level) are encouraged to apply early; preference will be given to those who submit an abstract for a poster and/or talk. Please contact the 2020 Co-Chairs, Alex Confer and Rick Sayler, if you have any questions.