Biophysical Society Bulletin | April 2018

Obituary

Arthur G. Szabo

Centre Biophysique Moleculaire, France; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Spain; University of Parma, Italy; and the University of São Paolo, Brazil. Art’s contribution to biophysics methodologies include the refinement of laser-based time-correlated single-photon counting instrumentation, data collection, and analysis; col- lection of polarized time-resolved fluorescence from protein crystals; biosynthetic incorporation of tryptophan analogues into recombinant proteins; and improving fluorescence measurement standards. His contributions to knowledge include the photophysical characterization by time-resolved fluorescence of dozens of purified single-tryptophan proteins, peptides, and analogs, including metal binding proteins of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, terbium, and europium. Today, in light of new methods to refine protein X-ray crys- tallographic data, Art’s many papers on the conformational heterogeneity of proteins remain significant, and were, in many ways, ahead of their time. Art served the community as a member and chair of Cana- dian grant selection committees, as an Associate Editor of the Journal Biochemistry and Cell Biology , and Founding Asso- ciate Editor of the Journal of Fluorescence . In 1997, he chaired the Canadian Society for Chemistry annual conference and exhibition. Dedicated to science until almost his last day, Art completed the manuscript of a university-level textbook on protein structure and function. Not only was Art a “cook in the chemistry lab,” but also in the kitchen, where he enjoyed making elaborate creations that he paired perfectly with good wine. Art will be sorely missed by his former mentees and the biophysics community world- wide, to which he brought his intellect, integrity, enthusiasm, humor, and generosity. — Tanya Dahms and Chris Hogue

Arthur G. Szabo was born in Toron- to, Ontario, Canada, in 1939. Art, as he was known, studied chem- istry and mathematics at Queen’s University in Canada where he received a bachelor of science degree with honors. He earned master’s and doctorate degrees in

Arthur G. Szabo

organic chemistry from the University of Toronto as a student of Peter Yates , with support from a National Research Council (NRC-CNRC) stipend. He pursued organic photochemistry at the University of Southampton as an NRC overseas postdoc- toral fellow. Art started as a Research Officer in the Institute for Biological Sciences at the NRC-CNRC in Ottawa in 1967, becoming a Senior Research Officer before departing in 1994. Art moved on to become Director of the School of Physical Sciences, Director of the Great Lakes Institute for Environ- mental Research, Head of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Windsor. He served as Dean of Science at Wilfrid Laurier University from 2000 to 2007, and as Professor of Chemistry before retiring in 2013. Art published more than 140 research articles and earned an international reputation for his work on fluorescence studies of protein structure and function. He supervised the research work of nine PhD students, 10 master’s students, and 14 postdoctoral fellows, several summer students and four-year honors students, and had numerous productive collabora- tions. He was awarded the John Labatt Lecture Award from the Canadian Society of Chemistry in 1993, for his outstand- ing achievement in biochemistry. He was a visiting scientist or visiting professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland; Looking for a job? Looking to hire? Visit the BPS Job Board to find the position you’ve been looking for or the right candidate to hire. Job Seekers – Post your resume for potential employers to search and view. It’s easy and it’s FREE! Employers – Post your job and begin your search for qualified applicants. Thousands of qualified job seekers visit the site each day and hundreds of companies count on the BPS Job Board to deliver great candidates. Get started today at biophysics.org/jobs

April 2018

15

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B I O P H Y S I C A L S O C I E T Y