Robert A. Scott
Chemistry Department Head
Professor of Chemistry
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Distinguished
Research Professor 2003
Robert A. Scott, Chemistry Department Head and Professor
of Chemistry and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, uses
X-ray absorption spectroscopy and other techniques to study
biologically important metals. Iron, selenium, and copper
are among the metals living organisms incorporate into vital
proteins and enzymes. Dr. Scott investigates how metal ion
binding sites function in metallobiomolecules, which include
the iron-rich heme that carries oxygen in vertebrate bloodstreams.
His findings have increased our understanding, for example,
of the natural resistance some bacteria have to cadmium,
mercury, arsenic, and other normally toxic metals. His work
has shown that the “zinc ribbon,” a structure involved in
gene transcription, is conserved from archaea – ancient bacterial
life forms at the root of the evolutionary tree – to humans.
He also has helped elucidate how metalloproteins transfer
electrons over long distances within living systems.
He is
among “today’s most desired
collaborators when challenging problems arise,” wrote University
of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emeritus Helmet Beinert. Stephen
Lippard, MIT’s Chemistry Department Chair, states that he
is “a major reason why [UGA’s] inorganic, biological, and
bioinorganic programs are well-known throughout the worldwide
community.” A founder of the Journal of Biological Inorganic
Chemistry, Dr. Scott co-founded the UGA Center for Metalloenzyme
Studies, a center of excellence for biological inorganic
chemistry research.
Source: 24th Annual Research Awards Program (2003)
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