Robert J. Swanson
Education
  • Ph.D., University of Chicago 
    • Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, 1995-2001

    • Thesis: "The Role of Doa10 in Ubiquitin Mediated Degradation"
      Thesis Advisor: Mark Hochstrasser, Ph.D.
  • B.S., Purdue University 
    • Honors Biology, 1991 to 1995

    • Thesis: "Investigation into histone architecture and function"
      Thesis Advisor: Arnold Stein, Ph.D.
Professional Training
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago 
    • Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, April 2001 to present

    • Research on cell-cell interactions and species recognition in the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
      Advisor: Daphne Preuss, Ph.D.
Teaching Experience
  • Genetic Analysis, MGCB 314, University of Chicago, Fall 2002 
    • Discussion leader for genetics class for 1st year graduate students.
  • Molecular and Cell Biology, BMB 302, University of Chicago, Winter, 2002 
    • Co-lecturer for an introductory class in molecular and cellular biology for 1st year medical students.
  • Guest Lecturer, General Psychology, Valparaiso University, Winter, 2002 
    • "The genetic basis for human behavior"
  • Mentor, undergraduate research, University of Chicago, Fall, 2001-present 
    • Bryan Alexander, "The mapping of lap1, a pollen wall mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana." NSF-REU fellowship recipient.
  • Mentor, undergraduate research, University of Chicago, Summer, 2001 
    • Quinn Marksteiner, "An investigation into the chemical nature of the adhesion between pollen and stigma in Arabidopsis thaliana." NSF-REU fellowship recipient.
  • Analytical Chemistry, University of Chicago Lab School, 1998-1999 
    • Private tutor for high school analytical chemistry
  • Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Winter 1996 
    • Teaching assistant
  • Cell Biology (for graduate students), University of Chicago, Fall 1995 
    • Teaching assistant
Publications
  • Swanson, R. and Preuss, D. (In Preparation) Sexual Signaling in Plant Fertilization. Ann. Rev. Gen.
  • Swanson, R., Locher, M. and Hochstrasser, M. 2001. A conserved ubiquitin ligase of the nuclear envelope/endoplasmic reticulum that functions in both ER-associated and Mata2 repressor degradation. Genes Dev. 15, 2660-2674.
  • Swanson, R. and Hochstrasser, M. 2000. A viable ubiquitin-activating enzyme mutant for evaluating ubiquitin system function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEBS, 477, 193-8.
  • Hochstrasser, M., Johnson, P.R., Arendt, C.S., Amerik, A., Swaminathan, S., Swanson R., Li, S.J., Laney, J., Pals-Rylaarsdam, R., Nowak, J. and Connerly P.L. 1999. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae ubiquitin-proteasome system. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. Biol. Sci. 354, 1513-22.
  • Johnson, P., Swanson, R., Rakhilina, L., Hochstrasser, M. 1998. Degradation signal masking by heterodimerization of MATalpha2 and MATa1 blocks their mutual destruction by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Cell 94, 217-27.
Awards and Professional Service
  • 2002- USDA competitive postdoctoral grant "The Role of the Stigma Proteome in Fertilization" 
  • 1999-2002 Institutional Review Board member at the University of Illinois at Chicago
  • 1995-1996 NIH training grant, University of Chicago
  • 1996 Honorable Mention, Howard Hughes Predoctoral Fellowship
  • 1994 Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Internship
 
 
Contact Information
Robert Swanson, Ph.D.
The University of Chicago
EBC 304
1103 East 57th Street
Chicago, Il 60637
Ph. 773/702-9558
rswanson@midway.uchicago.edu
 
Links
The Preuss Lab webpage

Jennifer Winquist's webpage
Asst. Professor of Psychology at Valparaiso University (and my wife)