Welcome to the Radhakrishnan lab website at Northwestern University.  The lab is interested in the mechanistic aspects of eukaryotic transcription regulation at the molecular level.  A broad range of transcription factors and coregulator proteins important for normal cellular physiology and development are presently under investigation.

Solution NMR spectroscopy, macromolecular crystallography, and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) are the principal approaches employed in these studies, although diverse biochemical, biophysical, and computational approaches are also used.  NMR, crystallography, and cryoEM afford atomic-level descriptions of macromolecules.  The choice of approach is geared towards their respective strengths: EM and crystallography for the ability to provide detailed pictures of large, complex systems, and NMR spectroscopy for smaller systems that also feature dynamically disordered segments that are resistant to crystallization.  NMR is also used for discovering novel functions and for gaining insights into protein motions on a broad range of timescales.

Outstanding NMR, crystallography, cryoEM, and computational resources exist within the department.  Super high-field NMR instruments and synchrotron sources in the area are also readily accessible.  The department provides a highly interactive, intellectually stimulating environment.  Evanston is a suburb of Chicago and is among the most desirable places to live in the country.

NEWS
A new 600 MHz Bruker NEO console interfaced with an actively shielded 14.1 T magnet has been commissioned for biological and chemical research at the IMSERC facility. A cryoprobe with detection capabilities for five nuclei are yielding beautiful results.

VISITING THE LAB
The lab is located in Cook Hall (pictured below) in the beautiful Evanston campus on the shores of Lake Michigan. Maps and directions for getting to the lab can be found here.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
The lab provides opportunities for training in contemporary structural biology, biophysics, and informatics at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels.  Applications from highly motivated candidates eager to receive training in the aforementioned areas should be addressed to Ishwar Radhakrishnan.