Dr. Kathleen Howard

Biography

Kathleen P. Howard, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on developing application methods capable of providing atomic level structural dynamic information about membrane-bound molecules. Embedded membranes encapsulate biological cells with myriad molecules involved in processes such as transport, energy conversion, and signal transduction. Given the abundance and clear importance of these membrane molecules, there is a dramatic lack of high-resolution structural data regarding membrane systems. Dr. Howard's research program is dedicated to addressing this problem by developing new biophysical methods. Recent efforts in her lab involve utilizing spin-label electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy as a strategy to study the conformation of the M2 protein of influenza, where synthetically incorporated spin labels at various sites on the protein are reconstituted into lipid membranes to measure their spectral properties through EPR techniques.

Research Interests

Experience