Member spotlight: Paul Craig

Paul Craig is a professor of biochemistry and bioinformatics at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

What is your research focus?

“Developing and implementing computational tools for biochemistry research and teaching.”

What is the broader impact of your work?

“Many people have used simulations my students have developed for electrophoresis, but perhaps the broadest impact is through the BASIL (Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab), an undergraduate biochemistry curriculum. In BASIL, we combine computational and wet lab methods to predict and test function for previously unannotated proteins. The broad impact is the emphasis on introducing computational methods to undergraduates.”

How has being a member of the ASBMB helped you along the way?

“I have so many friends and supporters in ASBMB. They are a source of encouragement all the time and often we collaborate in small and perhaps larger ways. My students have always been welcomed at ASBMB conferences and they have learned so much.”

What are you watching/reading outside the lab/work?

“Fiction: The 'Chief Inspector Gamache' novels by Louise Penny. He is wise, kind and happily married, unlike most murder mystery protagonists. And he has taught me to say four things: I'm sorry, I don't know, I need help, and I was wrong.

Nonfiction: I just finished 'Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World' by Adam Grant. Did you know that all Nobel prize winners also participated in art, drama or music?

I am reading 'The Second Testament: A New Translation,' a single-author translation of the New Testament of the Christian Bible where he seeks to maintain the authenticity of the original Greek text.”

What music or podcasts have you been enjoying lately?

“I still enjoy the music from high school through grad school — Boston, Huey Lewis and the News, Carole King, James Taylor.”

Who are your heroes/heroines?

“Jesus of Nazareth. John Paul Jones, first admiral of the U.S. Navy. My father.”

What have you learned from your work that applies to the rest of your life?

“To love and be loved is more important than achievement or recognition.”