The Thomas C. Jenkins Endowment was established by Mrs. MAY McSHANE JENKINS in honor of her husband, the late THOMAS COURTNAY JENKINS, who was a famed Baltimore financier and art collector. Passionate about advancing knowledge in biophysics, Mrs. Jenkins designated the remainder of her estate to the Biophysics Department of The Johns Hopkins University in 1959.
In 2010, in an effort to support and recognize premier faculty in biophysics, and recognizing the extraordinary contributions of Dr. and Mrs. Jenkins, the school created two named chairs in the Department of Biophysics.
Held by Sarah A. Woodson
SARAH A. WOODSON, the Thomas C. Jenkins Professor of Biophysics in the School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins, is an expert in how RNA molecules fold into specific three-dimensional shapes and how they interact with proteins to turn genes on and off in the cell. Together with Mark Chance and Michael Brenowitz, she pioneered methods for visualizing how RNA molecules change shape in real time. She served on the board of The RNA Society and was elected an AAAS Fellow in 2011. Dr. Woodson joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins University in 1999. She received her PhD in biophysical chemistry at Yale University in 1987 and did postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado in Boulder from 1987-1990.
Held by Doug Barrick
DOUG BARRICK is a biophysicist interested in protein folding, and in particular, applying statistical thermodynamic modeling to understand energetics, cooperativity, protein evolution, and protein function. He is also interested in teaching biophysical chemistry by combining hands-on models, computer analysis, and visualization. He obtained his BA Summa Cum Laude in MCD Biology and in Chemistry at the University of Colorado, obtained his PhD in Biochemistry at Stanford University with Buzz Baldwin in 1993, and conducted postdoctoral research with Rick Dahlquist at the University of Oregon. He came to Johns Hopkins in 1996, and joined the faculty of the T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics in 1997. He was an HHMI Predoctoral fellow, a Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow, and a Beckman Young Investigator. He was the recipient of the Johns Hopkins Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008. He has served as chair for two NIH study sections, and is currently the chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.
