This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2005. The goal of the fellowship is to increase the participation of minority scientists at the postdoctoral level and to prepare them for positions of scientific leadership in US science. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training and research of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. It is expected that Fellows supported through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce.
The research and training plan is entitled "Metabolism and function of long chain base phosphates in yeast and plants." The long chain base phosphates (LCB-P) are metabolites of sphingolipids with important regulatory functions. This research is aimed at characterizing LCB-P metabolism in Arabidopsis and at identifying regulatory functions of LCB-P in both yeast and plants.
The training plan includes acquiring skills in molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry for manipulating and studying sphingolipid metabolism and ultimately for preparing for an independent career in metabolic engineering with a particular interest in generating products of use in medicine, agriculture and industry.
