Saleh
The area of my expertise is molecular biophysics. My training in this area has been used in the past 15 years to study various aspects of bacterial physiology and their interactions with their environments. Several research programs were carried out in relation to interaction of bacteria with their environments in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. In non-pathogenic bacteria, I used bioinformatics techniques to address certain questions on the process of protein secretion in bacteria. Specifically, how the structural features of signal sequences direct the membrane translocation of signal sequence-containing secretory proteins. I currently have a graduate student looking at the involvement of the mRNA of such secretory proteins in targeting the protein to the membrane for translocation and secretion.
Schulte-Hostedde
Major areas of research interest include causes and consequences of sexual selection, host-parasite interactions, and patterns of gene flow in heterogeneous environments. From an applied perspective, we are interested in the effects of domestic populations on wild relatives, the effects of anthropogenic environments on selection in wildlife, and the consequences of captivity on zoo populations.
Shepherd
Research projects are primarily focused on the electrochemical characterization and manipulation of surfaces that are modified with organic molecules. We use electrochemical methods and high resolution surface probes to manipulate and characterize the metal/organic interface in a variety of environments. Current projects include: the development of an electrochemical method to uniquely pattern metal electrodes with heterogeneous binary mixed monolayers for their application as chemical and biochemical sensors; the study and characterization of organic leveling agents on Cu and Zn surfaces under electrowinning conditions;the exploration of organic molecules as alternative leaching agents for gold.
Siemann
Metals ions in biological systems; Bioinorganic Chemistry; Mechanism and inhibition of metalloenzymes; anthrax; anthrax lethal factor; protein toxins; antibiotic resistance; metallo-beta-lactamases; electronic spectroscopy metalloproteins; fluorescence spectroscopy; protein folding; development of methods for the quantification of metal ions in biological matrices.
Watterson
Dr. Watterson’s research interests focus primarily on toxicological analysis of skeletal remains and development of analytical methods for drugs and metabolites in complex tissue samples. Other areas of active research include forensic alcohol toxicology, and the application of chemometric methods to forensic toxicological analysis.
Yang
I have a strong interest in gasotransmitter, biomolecular science, and signal transduction research. There are three areas of on-going research programs and interests funded by NSERC and HSFC, including: 1) Biological significance of H2S-mediated protein translational modification; 2) Roles of H2S in cell differentiation and organ development; 3) Regulation and function of H2S in vascular diseases, cancers and aging.