Mickey Kosloff

Curriculum Vitae - Web format (circa 2011)

(alternatively - CV in PDF format - circa 2011)

Education

			Duke University Medical Center (Durham, USA)
	2006-2011		Post-doctoral training with Dr. Vadim Arshavsky (computational and experimental biology).
			Columbia University, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, (New York, USA)
	2003-2006		Post-doctoral training with Dr. Barry Honig (computational biology).
			The Hebrew University, Department of Biological Chemistry (Jerusalem, Israel)
	2003 (April)		PhD Structural and Molecular Biochemistry (summa cum laude). Thesis title: “Modulation of G-protein function as molecular switches”.
	1996-2002		PhD studies with the late Prof. Zvi Selinger.
	1996		MSc Biochemistry.
			The Hebrew University (Jerusalem, Israel)
	1994		BSc Chemistry in the Amirim interdisciplinary honor program (summa cum laude). Graduated first in class, with a 98.0 point average (out of 100).

			Professional experience
	2006-2011		Research associate with Dr. Vadim Arshavsky (Duke University). Combine computational and experimental methods to decipher the structural basis for the function and specificity of RGS proteins. Redesign RGS proteins with altered activity and selectivity. Analyze the structural basis for protein translocation and binding to membranes in the vertebrate visual system. Investigate the functional roles of membrane anchorage in selected RGS family members.
	2003-2006		Postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Barry Honig (Columbia University). Developed computational approaches to understand the function and specificity of signal transduction proteins using structure comparison, structure prediction and energetic / electrostatic calculations. Quantified structure dissimilarity and searched for sequence-similar structure-dissimilar proteins in the PDB. Analyzed the structural basis for substrate specificity in the GST family using homology modeling and structure comparison. Predicted numerous structures successfully in the Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP6) in 2004 and assisted with CASP7 signal transduction targets in 2006.
	2003		Research scientist with Prof. Shy Arkin (Hebrew University). Searched for structural membrane-targeting motifs. Modeled novel SARS membrane proteins.
	2001-2003		Co-founder of Promethium Drug Development (with Prof. Zvi Selinger), a biotechnology startup company developing novel anti-cancer drugs.
	2000 (fall)		Visiting researcher with Prof. Arieh Warshel (USC, Los Angeles). Used molecular simulation (QM/MM) to study enzymatic catalysis in the G-protein Ras.
	1996-2002		Researcher with Prof. Zvi Selinger (Hebrew University). Investigated the membrane anchorage of G-proteins and the regulation of Gq translocation in the Drosophila fly visual transduction cascade. Studied the structural basis for catalysis by G-proteins. Developed small molecules to restore catalytic activity to mutant, oncogenic G-proteins.
	1994-1996		Researcher with Prof. Zvi Selinger (Hebrew University). Developed new experimental methods to study the regulated covalent modifications of G-proteins in the Drosophila phototransduction cascade.
	1993-1994		Research assistant - Amirim honor program research project (Hebrew University). Developed a combined chemical and biological approach to synthesize the second messenger cyclic-ADP ribose.
	1986-1991		System analyst - IDF intelligence corps (last rank - captain). Initiated, defined and developed specialized hardware/software systems, directing several teams of engineers. Commanded the three month professional segment of an officer training course. Invited lecturer on system analysis and specialized computer systems to many technical courses.

			Teaching experience (partial)
	2003		Developed and taught an advanced EMBO workshop for high school science teachers from Israel and Europe (Belmonte Science Center): “Structural Bioinformatics”.
	2003		Developed and taught a new course for graduate students (Hebrew University): “Using Protein Structure Analysis in experimental research”.
	2002		Invited lecturer in a seminar series for high school science teachers (Belmonte Science Center).
	2002		Invited lecturer in a popular science lecture series (part of the Jerusalem Science Festival): “biological switches, cancer and future anti-cancer drugs”.
	2001,2002		Instructor in TA teaching skills workshops (Hebrew University).
	1999-2003		Invited lecturer in five undergraduate/graduate courses and workshops (Hebrew University, Tel-Aviv University, Weizmann Institute).
	1994-2002		Teaching assistant (Hebrew University, lectures) in the courses: “Advanced Biochemistry lab”, “Advanced Biochemistry lab for the Etgar Biology honor program”, “Advanced Biochemistry”, “General and Organic Chemistry for Biology Students”, “Structural Biology and Modeling”.

			Grants, awards and honors
			Competetive funding and grants:
	2008-2009		Teragrid computational resources grant.
	2004-2007		The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) long term fellowship.
	2000-2001		The Landau scholarship for outstanding PhD students.
			Awards and honors:
	2009		The Duke University postdoctoral award for professional development.
	2003		The Teva prize for a young scientist - awarded by the Israeli Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
	2003		The Kaye prize for innovative research by a young scientist.
	2003		PhD thesis (Hebrew University) - Summa cum laude.
	1996		The Dean-Intel award for MSc students.
	1994-1996		Hebrew University Rector’s MSc scholarship.
	1993,1994		Hebrew University Rector’s prize for excellence.
	1993,1994		Hebrew University Dean’s end-of-year list of excellence.
	1992-1994		The Amirim merit-based undergraduate scholarship.
			Best poster prizes:
	2010		ISMB conference - RCSB PDB best poster prize.
	2008		Experimental Biology conference - best poster presentation contest winner (awarded by SciVee).
	2005		Biology and Chemistry of Vision FASEB conference.
	2001		Annual Israeli Bioinformatics symposium.
	2000,2002		Hebrew University’s Faculty of Sciences open day.
			Travel awards:
	2008		The 3rd RGS Protein Colloquium.
	2006		The Yeshaya Horowitz / Center for Complexity Science travel fellowship to ECCB06.
	2001		Sequence, structure and function in membrane protein systems conference.
	2001		Katzir award.
	2001		Protein Society annual symposium.
	2000		ISMB conference.

			Peer reviewed publications
		1.	Kosloff M., Zor T., Selinger Z. “Substrate-assisted catalysis: Implications for biotechnology and drug design“. Drug Development Research, 2000, 50 (3-4): 250-257.
		2.	Kosloff M., Selinger Z. “Substrate assisted catalysis - application to G proteins”. Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 2001, 26 (3): 161-166.
		3.	Kosloff M., Elia N., Selinger Z. “Structural homology discloses a bi-functional motif at the N-termini of G-alpha proteins”. Biochemistry, 2002, 41 (49): 14518-14523.
		4.	Kosloff M., Elia N., Joel-Almagor T., Timberg R., Zars T.D., Hyde D.R., Minke B., Selinger Z. “Regulation of light-dependent Gq-alpha translocation and morphological changes in fly photoreceptors”. EMBO Journal, 2003, 22 (3): 459-468.
		5.	Kosloff M., Selinger Z. “GTPase catalysis by Ras and other G-proteins: insights from Substrate Directed SuperImposition”. Journal of Molecular Biology, 2003, 331 (5): 1157-1170.
		6.	Kosloff M. “Modulation of G-protein function as molecular switches”. 2003, PhD Thesis (peer reviewed and published), Hebrew University.
		7.	Kosloff M. et al. (co-authors are all 52 JCSG consortium personnel) “Comparative structural analysis of a novel glutathione S-transferase (Atu5508) from Agrobacterium tumefaciens at 2.0 angstrom resolution”. Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics, 2006, 65 (3): 527-537.
		8.	Kosloff M., Kolodny R. “Sequence-similar, structure-dissimilar protein pairs in the PDB”. Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics, 2008, 71 (2): 891-902.
		9.	Kosloff M., Alexov E., Arshavsky V.Y., Honig B. “Electrostatic and lipid-anchor contributions to the interactions of transducin with membranes: mechanistic implications for activation and translocation”. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2008, 283 (45): 31197-31207.
		10.	Kosloff M., Travis A.M., Bosch D.E., Siderovski D.P., Arshavsky V.Y. “Integrating energy calculations with functional assays to decipher the specificity of G-protein-RGS protein interactions”. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 2011, 18 (7): 846-853.

			Published conference proceedings
		1.	Kosloff M., Ayalon E., Selinger Z. “Activity dependent translocation of DGq in Drosophila photoreceptors“. Neuroscience Letters, 1998, Suppl. 51, S23.
		2.	Kosloff M., Elia N., Timberg R., Selinger Z. “Activity-dependent translocation of the G-protein in Drosophila photoreceptors“. Neural Plasticity, 2002, 9 (2): 94.
		3.	Litvak Y., Kosloff M., Selinger Z. “Assay of GTP hydrolysis by Ras“. Neural Plasticity, 2002, 9 (2): 98.

			Selected poster presentations and awards
		1.	"How did evolution maximize catalytic inefficiency to regulate the GTPase super-family?": ISMB 2000 (travel award). Open day of the Hebrew U. Faculty of Sciences 2001 (awarded best poster prize).
		2.	"Mechanism and benefits of catalytic inefficiency in G-proteins ": Annual Israeli Bioinformatics symposium 2001 (awarded best poster prize). Protein Society annual symposium 2001 (travel award). Sequence, Structure and Function in Membrane Protein Systems conference 2001 (travel award).
		3.	"Activity dependent translocation of the DGq protein in vivo ": Sequence, Structure and Function in Membrane Protein Systems conference 2001. The 3rd Federation of Israel Societies for Experimental Biology Congress 2002. FASEB conference on Protein Lipidation, Signaling and Membrane Domains 2002. Open day of the Hebrew U. Faculty of Sciences 2002 (awarded best poster prize).
		4.	"A novel amphitropic motif in the N-terminal helix of heterotrimeric G-proteins": Annual Israeli Bioinformatics symposium 2002. FASEB conference on Protein Lipidation, Signaling and Membrane Domains 2002.
		5.	"Elucidating the mechanism of Ras GTPase using Substrate Directed SuperImposition": Annual Israeli Bioinformatics symposium 2003.
		6.	"Computational investigation of the role of electrostatics in the interaction of Transducin with membrane surface": FASEB conference on the Biology and Chemistry of Vision 2005 (awarded best poster prize).
		7.	"Computational investigation of the reversible interactions of G-proteins with membrane surfaces": ECCB 2006 (travel award).
		8.	"Sequence-similar, structure-dissimilar protein pairs in the PDB": ECCB 2006 (travel award).
		9.	"Characterizing transducin's interactions with membranes: mechanistic implications for activation and translocation": FASEB conference on Biology and Chemistry of Vision 2007.
		10.	"Deciphering RGS - G protein specificity and selectivity by combining computational and experimental methods": 3rd RGS Protein Colloquium / Experimental Biology 2008 (travel award, winner of SciVee's best poster presentation at the Experimental Biology 2008 conference).
		11.	"Characterizing the interactions of peripheral membrane proteins with membranes - a computational approach": FASEB conference on Protein Lipidation, Signaling and Membrane Domains 2009.
		12.	"Structure-based redesign of selective G-protein inactivation by RGS proteins": ISMB 2010 (Winner of the RCSB PDB best poster award).