T. K. Martin Tsui
Hometown: Hong Kong
Fall 2012 - Summer 2017
Currently Resides In: San Francisco, CA
PhD in Molecular Biophysics
American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship
Current Job/Occupation
Postdoctoral Research Scholar, University of California, San Francisco
Through the combination of virology, biochemistry, and structural biology, we study HIV proteins and their interactions with human host factors. This research is part of the HIV Accessory and Regulatory Complexes (HARC) Center at UCSF.
Educational/Professional Background
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Kliment A. Verba (Pharmaceutical Chemistry) at the University of California, San Francisco. My current research is to characterize various human protein complexes that play significant roles in cancer through structural biology using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and biochemistry. I'm also part of a UCSF mega team that studies COVID-19, as a member of the Structural Biology Consortium in QBI Coronavirus Research Group (QCRG) at UC San Francisco.
My scientific journey started at UC San Diego as a junior transfer student in 2008. I worked in the lab of Hector Viadiu (Chemistry & Biochemistry) to study DNA-binding proteins and X-ray crystallography. I then spent a year at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as an associate (visiting) student while volunteered in the lab of Sik Lok Sherlock Lam [here for a story about my story with Dr. Lam] (Chemistry) to learn about DNA folding using solution state NMR in the first half of 2011. In Fall 2012, I became a Ph.D. student and joined the lab of Hong Li (Institute of Molecular Biophysics) at the Florida State University to study various CRISPR-associate proteins and protein: nucleic acid complexes, including the world's first thermalstable Cas9, AceCas9, from Acidothermus cellulolyticus 11B. After graduation in summer 2017, I spent a month in the labs of Brian Miller and Jim Frederich (Chemistry & Biochemistry) as a postdoctoral researcher to repurpose a novel enzyme, before moving to UCSF to study human host factors that associated with HIV-1 Rev protein with Alan D. Frankel (Biochemistry & Biophysics) in Fall 2017
Experience as A Member of The Fellows Society
It provides opportunities for me as a member to both share my research to others who may not be in the same discipline, as well as to expand my horizons through attending others' presentations and network with other fellows.
