Pioneering biophysicist and genomic scientist Professor Carlos Bustamante (University of California, Berkeley) gave the 10th annual Carolyn and Charles Knobler Lecture on May 4.
His lecture, entitled “FACT Promotes Efficient Pol II Transcription by Modulating the Topographic Features of the Nucleosomal Barrier”, was followed by a question-and-answer period and then by a reception. Select photos from the event are below, and a photo gallery can be viewed here.
The Carolyn and Charles Knobler Lecture is an endowed lecture series made possible through the generous support of alumni, colleagues, and friends of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.
In his welcoming remarks, Professor Bill Gelbart paid tribute to the five decades of extraordinary research, teaching, and service contributions of Carolyn and Charles “Chuck” Knobler. He also highlighted some of the important research achievements of Professor Carlos Bustamante, who is known for developing single-molecule techniques that reveal how DNA, RNA, and proteins function at the molecular level.
Bustamante is a faculty member in the Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology, Chemistry, and Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He has previously visited UCLA, where he spoke at the 2015 Seaborg Symposium & Medal Award Dinner honoring Stefan W. Hell.
About the Carolyn and Charles Knobler Lecture
The Carolyn and Charles Knobler Lectures are made possible by the strong support of alumni, colleagues, and friends. The lecture honors Professor Charles “Chuck” Knobler and his wife Dr. Carolyn Knobler (pictured left) who have been extraordinary contributors to the science, life, and spirit of the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry for over more than five decades.
The inaugural Carolyn and Charles Knobler Lecture was delivered in 2015 by Professor Donald Hilvert (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich). Subsequent lecturers included:
2016 – Professor Sharon Glotzer (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)
2017 – Professor Michael Hagan (Brandeis University)
2018 – Professor Jean-François Joanny (ESPCI Paris and Institut Curie Paris)
2019 – Professor Daan Frenkel (University of Cambridge)
2020 – Professor Bogdan Dragnea (Indiana University, Bloomington)
2023 – Professor Vinothan Manoharan (Department of Physics, Harvard University)
2024 – Professor Douglas Rees (Roscoe Gilkey Dickinson Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology)
2025 – Professor Ka Yee Lee (Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago)
Due to the pandemic, there were no lectures in 2021 and 2022.
Photos by Isabella Luo.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
