Contact Information

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Columbia University
Department of Chemistry
New York, NY 10027
Office: 212.854.1096
Lab: 212.854.0162
rlg2118@columbia.edu

Education

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Ph.D., Biophysical Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley
Thesis: Structure and thermodynamics of a metal ion binding site in an RNA pseudoknot.
Advisor: Professor Ignacio Tinoco

B.S., Chemistry, Cum Laude, Florida International Universit
Advisor: Professor Stephen A. Winkle

Academic and Research Experience

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ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, 2006-Present

Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine, 2000-2006

Mentor: Professor Joseph D. Puglisi

Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, 1995-2000

Advisor: Professor Ignacio Tinoco, Jr.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Assistant Professor: 2006-Present

Graduate Biophysical Chemistry

Graduate Student Instructor: 1995-2000

Undergraduate Organic Chemistry II (Discussion Section)

Undergraduate Biophysical Chemistry II (Discussion Section)

Undergraduate Honors General Chemistry I (Laboratory and Discussion Section)

AWARDS AND HONORS

American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2001-2005

UC Berkeley Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, 1999

NIH Research Grant Supplement for Underrepresented Minorities, 1995-Present

Graduate Opportunity Program Fellow, 1995-1997

Florida International University Chemistry Department Outstanding Senior Award, 1995

ACS-Student Affiliate Outstanding Grant, 1995

Minority Biomedical Research Society Grant, 1994-1995

National Dean's List, 1990-1995

SOURCE OF INDEPENDENT FUNDING

Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences 2004

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

American Chemical Society

Biophysical Society

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Cancer Society

PUBLICATIONS

Gonzalez, R.L., Jr., Chu, S. and Puglisi, J.D. (2006). Direct observation of allosteric during aminoacyl-tRNA delivery to the ribosome. (Submitted)

Dorywalska, M., Blanchard, S.C., Gonzalez, R.L., Jr., Chu, S. and Puglisi, J.D. (2004). Site-specific labeling of 16S rRNA for single-molecule spectroscopy. Nucleic Acids Res. 31, 182-189. [ PDF ]

Blanchard, S.C., Gonzalez, R.L., Jr., Kim, H.D., Chu, S. and Puglisi, J.D. (2004). tRNA selection and kinetic proofreading in translation. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 11, 1008-1014. [ PDF ] [ Supp Mat ]

Blanchard, S.C.*, Kim, H.D.*, Gonzalez, R.L., Jr.*, Puglisi, J.D. and Chu, S. (2004). tRNA dynamics on the ribosome during translation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 101, 12893-12898. (*Equal Authorship) [ PDF ] [ Supp Mat ]

Lynch, S.R., Gonzalez, R.L.,Jr. and Puglisi, J.D. (2003). Comparison of X-Ray Crystal Structure of the 30S Subunit-Antibiotic Complex with NMR Structure of Decoding Site Oligonucleotide Paromomycin Complex. Structure, 11, 43-53. [ PDF ]

Gonzalez, R.L., Jr. and Tinoco, I. Jr. (2000). NMR Spectroscopy Techniques for the Identification and Characterization of Metal Ion Binding Sites in RNA. Methods Enzymol., 338, 421-443.

Yuen, H-W., Tinoco, I. Jr. and Gonzalez, R.L., Jr. (2000). The Effect of Magnesium(II) Ion and Cobalt(III) Hexammine Ion on an RNA Pseudoknot. Berkeley Scientific, 4, 139-143.

Gonzalez, L.R.,Jr and Tinoco, I. Jr. (1999). Solution Structure and Thermodynamics of a Divalent Metal Ion Binding Site in an RNA Pseudoknot. J. Mol. Biol., 289, 1267-1282. [ PDF ]

U.S. PATENTS PENDING

Gonzalez, R.L., Jr, Blanchard, S.C. and Puglisi, J.D. (Filed 27 January 2003). Surface Based Translation System

Gonzalez, R.L., Jr, Blanchard, S.c. and Puglisi, J.D. (Filed 27 January 2003). Translational Profiling

 

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