Vol. 38, No. 18

1-3-2007
By: Pam Frost Gorder

Musier-Forsyth is new Ohio Eminent Scholar

The new Ohio Eminent Scholar in Biological Macromolecular Structure will enhance interdisciplinary research at Ohio State.

Karin Musier-Forsyth has joint appointments in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry that begin this month. She is a renowned expert in the interactions between RNA and biological proteins and is searching for new RNA-based therapies for HIV.

Prabir Dutta, chair of the Department of Chemistry, said he is pleased that Musier-Forsyth is joining the faculty.
“Eminent scholars are expected to lead the university in new directions, build bridges across the university research community and be a highly visible colleague. I expect Dr. Musier-Forsyth, one of the world’s leading experts in nucleic acid structure and function, to accomplish all these tasks. In particular, her research in protein-RNA interactions — one of the most fundamental aspects of biology — should lead to new thrusts at the interface of chemistry, biology and medicine,” he said.

Richard Swenson, chair of the Department of Biochemistry, added that Musier-Forsyth was “a natural fit” for a position that connects the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences with the College of Biological Sciences.

“She masterfully applies both molecular biological and chemical approaches to important problems in biology, and her research is very well regarded,” Swenson said. “She will help bring attention to an emerging group of talented scientists here that are conducting RNA-related research.”

On a recent visit to campus, Musier-Forsyth said that one of the things that attracted her to Ohio State was its prevalence of interdisciplinary work and established strengths in RNA research. “I think the intellectual environment here is going to be stimulating, and that’s something that I’m looking forward to,” she said.

Musier-Forsyth comes to Ohio State after 15 years at Minnesota, where she was awarded the Merck Professorship and the Distinguished McKnight University Professorship.

Her research may lead to new HIV treatments, and that’s another reason why Ohio State is a good place for Musier-Forsyth’s laboratory: She can collaborate directly with people who study the virus as well as people who develop medical technologies.

Musier-Forsyth led a large research team at Minnesota and brings three graduate students and one postdoctoral researcher with her, and she is currently recruiting additional students and staff for her new laboratory.

Her husband, Craig Forsyth, is an accomplished synthetic organic chemist and will also join the Department of Chemistry as a professor.

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