Barbara M. (Janik) Poliks Research Associate Professor

Jagiellonian University, Poland. M. S. 1976 physics

Jagiellonian University, Poland Ph.D. 1982 physics

A. Positions and employment

1976-7 Teaching Assistant, Institute of Physics, JagiellonianUniversity.

1977-8 Research Fellow, Kernforschungsanlage, Jülich, West Germany

Fall 1980 Visiting Scientist, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Great Britain

1982-7 Research Fellow, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow, Poland

1985-6 Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Connecticut, Storrs.

1987-9 Research Associate, Departments of Biological Chemistry,

Cell Biology and Physiology, WashingtonUniversity, St. Louis.

1993-6 Research Associate , Chemistry Department, SUNY,

Binghamton, Research Foundation.

1996-2007 Visiting Assistant Professor, Physics Department, Binghamton

University, NY13902

2007- Research Associate Professor, Physics Department, Binghamton

University, NY13902

B. Research interests.

My scientific interest is in structure and dynamics of liquids, liquid crystals, molecular crystals and polymers. My research has included studies of simple liquids (like chloroform) and complicated biological structures like 1-MDa capsid of lumazine synthase.

During the last decade my research has focused on proteins, linear and branched polymers (polycarbonates) , dendrimers, spherical nanoparticles. The main “tools” for these structural studies have been the molecular dynamics and mechanics using Materials Studio from Accelrys of San Diego and AMBER from The Scripps Research Institute. In my research I have combined the information obtained in X-ray , NMR and fluorescence experiments to model systems such as: protein binding sites of ligands ( for instance: paclitaxel and colchicine in tubulin, fluorolumazine in lumazine synthase), phenyl-polycarbonates showing local ordering of their chains, and small molecules like cholesterol absorbed in shell cross-linked spherical nanoparticles.The dynamics studies of these system in several nanosecond time scale have become possible for me at the beginning of 2008 when I obtained an access to the NYSGrid via the Center for Computational Research at SUNY – Buffalo.

Since summer 2008 I have become involved in the computational studies of heat flows in the composite thermal interface materials (TIMs). The tool for these studies is LAMMPS Molecular Dynamics Simulator distributed by Sandia National Laboratories. These simulations have been performed on NYSGrid and TeraGrid.

C. Selected peer-reviewed publications (in chronological order).

1. Timmins, P.M, Poliks, B. and Banaszak, L. "The Location of

Bound Lipid in the Lipovitellin Complex", Science July 31,1992;

257: 652-655;

  1. Chen, L., Durley, R., Poliks, B.,Hamada, K.,Chen, Z., Mathews,

F.S., Davidson,V., Saton, Y.,Huizinga, E.,Vellieux, F., Hol, W.

"Crystal Structure of an Electron-Transfer Complex between

Methylamine Dehydrogenase and Amicyanin", Biochemistry 1992;

31(21):4959-4964;

  1. Goetz, J.M., Poliks, B., Studelska, D.R., Fischer, M.,Kugelgrey, K.

Bacher, A., Cushman, M., Schaefer,J. “Investigation of the Binding

of Certain Fluorolumazines to Lumazine Synthase by 15N{19F}

REDOR NMR”, JACS 1999; 121 (31):7500-7508;

  1. Yankun Li, Poliks, B., Cegelski, L., Poliks, M., Gryczynski, Z.,

Piszczek, G., Jagtap, P.G., Studelska, D.J., Kingston, D.G.I.,

Schaefer, Bane, S. “The Conformation of Microtubule-Bound

Paclitaxel Determined by Fluorescence Spectroscopy and REDOR

NMR”, Biochemistry 2000; 39(2):281-291;

  1. Hsien-Ming Kao, O’Connor, R.D., Mehta, A.K., Halyong Huang,

Poliks, B. Wooley, K.L. and Schaefer, J. “Location of Cholic Acid

Sequestered by Core- Shell Nanoparticles Using REDOR NMR.”,

Macromolecules 2001; 34(3): 544-546;

  1. O’Connor, R.D., Poliks, B., Bolton, D.H., Goetz, J.M., Byers, J.A.,

Wooley, K. and Schaefer, J. “Chain Packing in Linear Phenol-

Polycarbonate by 13C{2H} REDOR.” , Macromolecules 2002;

35(7): 2608-2617;

  1. McDowell, L.M., McCarrick, M.A., Studelska, D.R., O’Connor, R.D.,

Light, D.R., Guilford, W.J., Arnaiz, D., Dallas, J. L., Poliks, B.,

Schaefer, J., “Human Factor Xa-Bound Amidine Inhibitor

Conformation by Double REDOR NMR and MD Simulations.”,

J. Med. Chem. 2003; 46(3): 359-363;

  1. Bolton, D.H., Goetz, J.M., Gan D.,Byers J.A., Poliks, B., Wooley,

K.L., Schaefer, J., “Chain Dynamics in Linear and Hyperbranched

Polycarbonates.” ,Macromolecules 2003; 36(7):2368-2373.

9. McDowell, L.M., Poliks, B., Studelska, D.R., O’Connor, R.D.,

Beusen, D.D., „Rotational-Echo Double_Resonance NMR-

restrained Model of the Ternary Complex of 5

enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase.”, J. Biomolecular

NMR , 2004, 28: 11-29;

10.McDowell,L.M., Studelska, D.R., Poliks, B., O’Connor, R.D.,

Schaefer, J., “Characterization of the Complex of a

Trifluoromethyl- Substituted Shikimate-Based Bisubstrate

Inhibitor and 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate Synthase by

REDOR NMR” , Biochemistry, 2004, 43: 6606 – 6611;

11. Jiang, Y.L., McDowell, L.M., Poliks, B., Studelska, D.R., Cao C.,

Potter, G.S., Schaefer, J., Song F., Stivers, J.T. „Recognition of an

Unnatural Difluorophenyl Nucleotide by Uracil DNA Glycosylase.”,

Biochemistry 2004, 43(49): 15429-15438;

12. Paik Younkee, Poliks, B., Rusa, C.C., Tonelli, A.E., Schaefer, J.,

“Molecular Motion of Polycarbonate Included in γ-Cyclodextrin.”,

J. Pol. Sc. B, Polymer Physics, 2007, 45(11), 1271 – 1282;

13.Yu, Tsyr-Yan, O'Connor, R.D. , Sivertsen, A.C., Chiauzzi. C.,

Poliks, B., Fischer, M., Bacher, A., Haase, I. , Cushman, M. and

Schaefer, J., “ 15N{31P} REDOR NMR Studies of the Binding of

Phosphonate Reaction Intermediate Analogues toSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Lumazine Synthase”, Biochemistry 2008, 47(52), 13942-13951;

14. Sharma Shubhada, Poliks, B., Chiauzzi, C., Ravindra, R., Blanden,

A.R., Bane, S., “Characterization of the Colchicine Binding Site on

Avian Tubulin Isotype βVI.”, Biochemistry 2010, 49(13), 2932-

2942;

15. Cegelski, L, O’Connor, R.D., Stueber, D., Singh, M., Poliks B.,

Schaefer J., “Plant Cell-Wall Cross-Links by REDOR NMR

Spectroscopy”, JACS 2010, 132(45), 16052-16057.

D.Undergraduat Honors Thesis Advising

1. Colby Chiauzzi : “Determining the Binding Geometry of Pentameric

Lumazine Synthase with a Phosphonate Intermediate Analogue by

Computer Simulations” – defended in May 2008 ( Honors in

Physics).