Derek P. Claxton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Role of membrane protein structure and dynamics in facilitating ion-coupled transport of substrates critical for multidrug resistance, and modulation of protein dynamics via lipid and drug interactions.
I graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2004 with a BS in Chemistry and focus in biochemistry and biophysics. I completed my PhD in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics under the guidance of Dr. Mchaourab in 2010 applying methods in EPR spectroscopy to study the structural dynamics of the leucine transporter, a prokaryotic homolog of neurotransmitter transporters. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Gouaux laboratory at the Vollum Institute (Portland, OR) studying the structure and function of eukaryotic ion channels, I returned to the Mchaourab laboratory to pursue studies of ion-coupled substrate transporters involved in sugar metabolism and multidrug resistance.
Currently, I am a tenure track assistant professor in the department of molecular physiology and biophysics. Please visit my lab page