Conference: 2022 Protein Folding Dynamics Gordon Research Seminar

The award will provide support for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to attend the 2022 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Protein Folding Dynamics, which will be held in Galveston, Texas on January 8-9, 2022. This GRS brings together a diverse group of early career scientists, including graduate students, postdocs and those transitioning to independent positions, to share their research with peers and broaden their scientific networks in the broad field of protein folding.

This seminar allows early career scientists to discuss current research through seminars and poster sessions, informally exchange new ideas, technologies, and resources, and develop their professional network. Hence, this conference will facilitate training and professional development of the next generation of scientists, including underrepresented minorities, in the field of protein folding.

The GRS program also includes a panel discussion on mentoring. The GRS also serves as a career development experience for the co-chairs and organizers who are postdoctoral researchers.

Determining how protein sequence gives rise to conformational ensembles that encode their dynamics represents an active area of investigation in molecular biophysics. This Gordon Research Symposium will further the field of protein folding by addressing several essential topics, while highlighting how combined experimental and computational research can lead to breakthroughs in scientific understanding.

The GRS serves as a vital link for investigators around the world to share their latest, often unpublished discoveries, discuss pioneering ideas and launch new collaborations. Topics at the forefront of the field will be covered, including protein folding pathways, structure, dynamics, and mechanism, intrinsically disordered proteins and functional ensembles, sequence variation and mutational landscapes, among others.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.