KU News Release

KU researcher receives prestigious Alfred P. Sloan fellowship

Wonpil Im

LAWRENCE — Because the good news arrived by letter, Wonpil Im, assistant professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Kansas, was surprised to find that he was the recipient of a 2007 Alfred P. Sloan fellowship.

“A letter usually means rejection,” said Im. “I got the Sloan fellowship news by mail, so when I opened it up I was quite shocked to read that first sentence, ‘It is a great pleasure ...’ ”

Im is one of only 12 molecular biologists in the nation to receive the fellowship this year. Sloan Research Fellowships are designed to boost the careers of the most promising university faculty members involved in scientific investigation. In the past, 35 Sloan fellows have gone on to win Nobel Prizes.

For Im’s colleagues, news of his fellowship came as no surprise at all.

“Im is fast becoming a leader in bioinformatics on the KU campus and in the country,” said Kathy A. Suprenant, chair and professor of molecular biosciences at KU. “His research is at the cutting edge and we don’t know where it’s going, but we’re hopeful it will allow us to predict new drugs. This Sloan fellowship is a fantastic honor for him. They’re very competitive awards.”

The $45,000 fellowship will continue for two years, with a possible two-year extension. Sloan Research Fellowship funds may be used for equipment purchases, technical help, business travel, trainee support and other costs directly related to Im’s research.

“These are funds I can utilize to support the people in my research group,” said Im.

Im leads a team of KU students and postdoctoral researchers who study protein interactions in biological membranes and determine the structure of biological macromolecules. They also are developing a Web site dubbed CHARMM-GUI to provide a useful resource for the biomolecular simulation community.

“Computer models are useful in the lab, but to use a computer you need an algorithm or a method,” said Im. “We develop the method or algorithm if they are not available.”

Im’s research could have applications in nanotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

“The aim of our work is to understand human disease at the molecular level,” said Im. “If you look at the drugs that we’re using now, about 50 percent of commercial drugs are targeting membrane proteins. As our research progresses, we hope to help make a map to develop the drugs of the future.”

A committee of researchers reviews more than 500 nominations each year to determine a final selection of 116 Sloan fellows in seven scientific fields.

-30-

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.