Biophysical Society Bulletin | April 2018

Biophysicist in Profile

Officers President Angela Gronenborn President-Elect David Piston Past-President Lukas Tamm Secretary Frances Separovic Treasurer Kalina Hristova Council

Brad S. Rothberg , Associate Professor of Med- ical Genetics and Molecular Biology at Temple University, is currently collaborating with Brau- chi on a project focused on the structure and function of a K + channel from Mycobacterium intracellulare , which causes lung disease primarily in immunocompromised patients. “We hope that our work will lead to a better understanding of the physiology of these bac- teria, as well as new treatments for mycobac- terial infection,” he shares. “Sebastian discov- ered that channel through a genome search, and he came to my lab in Philly for a month to work on expressing the channel to do func- tional studies, and his enthusiasm rubbed off on me. Now the project has led to new crystal structures and other great ideas about this class of channels.” “I think Sebastian is probably the most easy-going person I know in science, which is odd because he takes his work very seriously,” Rothberg says. “I’m kind of neurotic by nature, and I tend to worry about ‘what happens next’; I think in some ways Sebastian is the total opposite of that. And I think being associated with that sensibility has been a good influence on me. I think we can all use a little of that.” Brauchi himself views his career as a scientist as the same as that of a craftsman. Rather than focusing on himself and his own ad- vancement, he tries to emphasize training and sharing of knowledge. “Don’t isolate yourself, collaborate with others instead. Always be happy about the success of your peers,” he says. “You are not a professional developing a career, you are rather a craftsman training to become a mentor of others.” Bruna Benso , Assistant Professor in the School of Dentistry of the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Brauchi’s lab. “Dr. Brauchi is a very pleasant colleague to interact with; he is very innovative, smart, encouraging of creativity in all of his students, and most importantly, an ethical investigator,” she shares. “He really encourages people to come up with ideas […] and no matter what difficulties you have, he is always patiently guiding all of his students.”

allowed me to give shape to my previous expe- riences and molded my career,” Brauchi ex- plains. “In his lab, I found the total freedom to develop my projects, build rigs out of scratch, and program my own software. I also found the strict school of biophysics always encour- aging to learn from first principles. Ramon’s training — as predicted by Dale — gave me the tools I was looking for to develop myself as a researcher.” “In 2004 I was awarded a Pew Fellowship to work as a postdoctoral trainee in the labo- ratory of David Clapham at Boston Children’s Hospital. I spent two years there working on ion channel biophysics and microscopy. David was a great mentor for an independent person like me; he trusted me with being able to put together complicated experimental rigs, and I learned a great deal of optics during my stay in Boston,” he shares. “The experience of being a Pew Fellow was also important for my pro- fessional development, giving me easy access to open conversations with and advice from leaders in different fields. This together with the financial support made a huge difference.” In 2008, Brauchi was recruited as an assis- tant professor by the Institute of Physiology of UACh, where he has been ever since, now as an associate professor. “Over the years I have realized that human beings are dull and relatively uninteresting compared to the enor- mous biodiversity available. Understanding the first principles of cellular sensing, the internal circuitry of a cell, is occupying my thoughts,” he says. “My projects these days are about mo- lecular evolution of ion channels and receptors, electrical activity of bacterial colonies, integra- tion of sensory inputs in plants, and develop- ing tools for cell biology and single-molecule studies.” “ You are not a professional developing a career, you are rather a craftsman training to become a mentor of others. ”

Zev Bryant Jane Clarke Linda Columbus Bertrand Garcia-Moreno Teresa Giraldez Ruben Gonzalez, Jr. Arthur Palmer Marina Ramirez-Alvarado Jennifer Ross David Stokes Joanna Swain Pernilla Wittung-Stafeshede Biophysical Journal Jane Dyson Editor-in-Chief Society Office Ro Kampman Executive Officer Newsletter Executive Editor Rosalba Kampman Managing Editor Beth Staehle Contributing Writers and Proofreaders Dorothy Chaconas Laura Phelan

Caitlin Simpson Elizabeth Vuong Ellen Weiss Production

Ray Wolfe Catie Curry

The Biophysical Society Newsletter (ISSN 0006-3495) is published eleven times per year, January-December, by the Biophysical Society, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Distributed to USA members and other countries at no cost. Canadian GST No. 898477062. Postmaster: Send address changes to Biophysical Society, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110, Rockville, MD 20852. Copyright © 2018 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

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