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Denise Okafor received a B.S. in Biomedical Chemistry from Oral Roberts University, an M.S. in Chemistry, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her dissertation research focused on metallobiochemistry, investigating RNA folding and function mediated by divalent cations like magnesium and iron. Following her doctoral studies, she served as a postdoctoral researcher in the Ortlund lab at Emory University, where she studied nuclear receptors, a family of ligand-regulated transcription factors, employing molecular dynamics simulations to explore the mechanisms behind ligand activation in these receptors. Denise has taught at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges in Atlanta as an NIH-IRACDA postdoctoral fellow. Her research primarily investigates the structural mechanisms of signaling regulation in protein complexes, utilizing molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the conformational dynamics of proteins in altered functional states. Her interests lie in the intricate biochemical and structural techniques that elucidate molecular mechanisms governing protein function, particularly focusing on nuclear receptors, which have pivotal roles in metabolism, development, and reproduction.
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