Dr. David B. Rozema has been awarded an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Chemistry. Dr. Rozema received the doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison under the supervision of Professor Samuel H. Gellman. Dr. Rozema will continue research at the University of Utah under the sponsorship of Professor Dale Poulter. The postdoctoral research investigates of the mechanism of the enzyme, protein farnesyl transferase, a member of the general family of protein isoprenyl transferases that catalyze the posttranslation modification of many membrane-bound proteins. The research focuses on the role of zinc in substrate binding, the nature of the interaction between zinc and peptide substrate, and the participation of zinc in the transition state of the reaction. The enzyme is a target for anticancer therapies. The Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Chemistry Program is viewed as an important infrastructural program designed to broaden the knowledge and experience of new Ph. D.s and attract them into meaningful careers in contemporary chemical research and teaching.
