Pitt Chemist Receives IBM Grant for Research in Biomolecular Modeling

PITTSBURGH—Ken Jordan, professor and chair of the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Chemistry and director of Pitt's Center of Molecular and Materials Simulations, has been awarded IBM's Shared University Research (SUR) grant for his work in the computer modeling of biomolecules. In 1999, Jordan also received an SUR grant, which was instrumental in establishing the molecular and material simulations center.

The IBM grant will support Jordan's collaborative work with Mark Gordon, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University (ISU), and researchers in IBM's Life Sciences Group to enhance the use of grid computing through biomolecular modeling and simulation.

"IBM's grant will advance our ability to craft complex computer models of biomolecular processes such as the folding of proteins of water," said Jordan. "Ultimately such simulations will enable us to discover how diseases develop in the human body and aid in designing ways to prevent the occurrence of diseases."

The SUR grant will provide high-performance computing equipment, specifically IBM p-series computers and grid-computing software, to Pitt and ISU research groups. These computers will be used for calculations of biomolecules in aqueous environments.

"We are pleased that a world-class corporation like IBM is partnering with Professor Jordan's groundbreaking research with this gift," said Pitt Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Albert Novak. "With IBM's support, Jordan and his colleagues will continue to further Pitt's reputation as internationally renowned research institution in computational chemistry and biology."

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5/18/04/tmw