Biophysical Society Bulletin | January 2021

Biophysicist in Profile

recommended him for the position. “The team there had been developing a custom molecular dynamics code specifically designed to take advantage of the new Blue Gene supercom- puting architecture. My timing was exceptionally lucky — I arrived shortly after the code was functional, and roughly six months before the Blue Gene/L supercomputer at Watson debuted at number 2 on the list of Top 500 Supercomputers (number 1 was another Blue Gene),” he says. “The projects Mike, Scott, and I worked on were allocated roughly one- fourth of the machine, letting us run simulations far longer than was generally possible at that time. We used this oppor- tunity to study the mammalian dim-light receptor rhodopsin, looking at its lipid-protein interactions, the role of polyunsat- urated fatty acids in controlling function, and the early stages of activation. We also worked on better methods to quantify the quality of statistical sampling.” Grossfield was offered a faculty position at the University of Rochester Medical Center while at IBM Research, where he now works. He is an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. “We have several estab- lished project areas, including simulating the early events in rhodopsin activation and comparing them to time-resolved X-ray scattering experiments, as well as developing methods to compute and interpret terahertz spectroscopy experi- ments on protein crystals,” he shares. “We’re also moving into new areas, including understanding the mechanisms of new potential drugs to treat opioid overdoses, using the experi- mental fibril structures of alpha-synuclein to think about the origins of Parkinson’s disease, and developing a new frame- work to think about the thermodynamics of phase separation in lipid membranes. We also put a lot of effort into developing LOOS, our suite for the analysis of molecular dynamics simu- lations.”

Grossfield with his dogs.

past year, I wrote nearly a dozen grant proposals, several on new topics for my group. Three of them were funded — two with collaborators, one just for my group, all in relatively new research areas for me —which is positioning me to rebuild my group and apply for tenure,” he shares. James Seckler , Case Western Reserve University, was one of Grossfield’s unofficial mentees, and the two continue to collaborate. “At present, we are working together on devel- oping a drug to reverse opioid induced respiratory depression (the cause of death in heroin and fentanyl overdoses) without affecting the ability of opioids to stop pain,” Seckler says. The most valuable thing he has learned from Grossfield over the years comes in the form of a saying he frequently shares in the lab: “There is always a faster way to get the wrong answer.” It’s his way of reminding everyone around him to slow down and be careful. He always stressed choosing techniques based on reliability rather than the time investment. This is something I took to heart working with him and continue to use to this day.” Grossfield believes that his most important contributions to biophysics will be the students and postdocs he helps train. He offers this advice for young biophysicists as they build thieir own careers: “Invest early on to build a network of good mentors. When you’re picking a lab for your thesis or postdoc, pay attention to what kind of mentor the PI is likely to be. Seek out other mentors as well — there doesn’t have to be a formal relationship, just a recognition that this is a person you can go to for advice, and who is invested in your suc- cess. Some of my most influential mentors are people I never worked for,” he says. “On the flip side, look for opportunities to provide mentoring for others. You don’t have to be very far along your career path to do so; a second- or third-year graduate student can be an influential mentor to an under- grad or first-year graduate student. However, before you give advice, be sure you understand what they want. Your role as a mentor isn’t to push them along your path, but to help them identify their own goals, and then reach them.”

Grossfield and his lab

The most challenging period of Grossfield’s career has been over the last four years, during which time the National Insti- tutes of Health (NIH) grant he had was not renewed and new applications to NIH and the National Science Foundation were not funded. He asked his department to pay his graduate stu- dents and postdoc, and was unable to take on new students, let alone upgrade lab equipment or pay to attend conferences. He petitioned his dean to extend his tenure clock, eventu- ally obtaining a three-year extension. “Happily, things have finally turned around over the last few months. During the

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