Department of Chemistry
Professor of Chemistry
(Biophysical and Physical, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, 1975)
(206) 543-1773
robinson@chem.washington.edu
Research Group Interest
Dr. Robinson is an experimental and theoretical, biophysical chemist in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington. His group specializes in using a variety of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) techniques, including continuous wave and pulsed Saturation Recovery (pSR) and pulsed Electron-Electron Double Resonance (pELDOR) EPR at 2 and 10 GHz. The research areas of interest include: dynamics of B-form duplex DNA and protein-DNA binding (as part of the process of DNA recognition); protein-RNA interactions; the interaction of interfacial signaling proteins and membranes; and the organization of organic chromophores in polymer matrices. The group collaborates with Drs. Larry Dalton, Mickey Schurr, and Mike Gelb at the University of Washington as well as Dr Snorri Sigurdsson (University of Iceland), and Albert Beth and Eric Hustedt (Vanderbilt U.)
The Robinson laboratory contains a CW/pulsed 10 GHz and a CW/pulsed 2 GHz EPR spectrometers. In addition, the Robinson group is responsible for the shared EPR instrumentation (from NIH-IEHS), which is used by more than a dozen groups around the U.W. campus. The group also has a Beowulf cluster computer comprised of 40 Athlon 1.6 GHz processors as part of the NSF funded Science and Technology Center for Information Technology (MDITR). [STC Website]
Rommel, H.L., and Robinson, B.H. "Orientation of electro-optic chromophores under poling conditions: A spheroidal model."J. Phys. Chemistry C. In Press (2007)
Shi, Y., Zhang, C., Zhang, H., Bechtel, J., Dalton, L. R., Robinson, B. H. and Steier, W. H. "Low Halfwave Voltage Polymer Electro-optic Modulators Achieved by Controlling Chromophore Shape". Science; 288: 119-122 (2000).
Lin, Y., Nielsen, R., Murray, D., Hubbell, W. L., Mailer, C., Robinson, B. H. and Gelb, M. H. "Docking phospholipase A2 on membranes using electrostatic potential-modulated spin relaxation magnetic resonance". Scienc; 279 (5358): 1925-9 (1998).
Robinson, B. H., Haas, D. A. and Mailer, C. "Molecular dynamics in liquids: spin-lattice relaxation of nitroxide spin labels". Science; 263 (5146): 490-3 (1994).
In Recognition of Outstanding Research Awards, Exxon Education Foundation