Burton Lab Members

Assistant Professor of Research

Steve Seibold, Assistant Professor of Research in both Chemistry and the Biological Modeling Center, received his PhD form the University of Kansas in 1995 and his B.S. from the University of Kansas in 1989. He and Dr. Burton are working on aligning both theoretical and experimental approaches to understanding the mechanism on RNA polymerase II.

Specifically, they are working on modeling RNA polymerase II mutants in silico using molecular dynamics to gain an understanding of how RNA polymerase functions on an atomistic level. In addition, they are using biasing force field methods in conjunction with advanced sampling techniques (replica exchange) to investigate reaction paths for conformational changes in RNA polymerase thought to be important for biological function.

Dr. Seibold, who also teaches BMB 200, has always been interested in how motion at the atomic level contributes to biological function and began his career in graduate school doing spectroscopy on biological molecules. He continued this approach after graduation utilizing resonance Raman spectroscopy. He subsequently began to use pure computational approaches to evaluate molecular vibrations and conformational changes in biological molecules.

Seibold's hobbies include reading novels, historical fiction, hiking with his dog, and long distance running.

E-mail: seibold@msu.edu

Biochemistry Research Trainee Student

Anthony Nazione, a Biochemistry Research Trainee Program student, received his B.S. in mathematics from Michigan State University in 2008.  He is currently working in Dr. Zach Burton's lab, where he performs quantitative research of human RNA Poly II exploring the function, mechanism, and kinetics of transcription and how it is regulated on a bond by bond level.

E-mail: nazionea@msu.edu