BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Provide the following information for the key personnel and other significant contributors in the order listed on Form Page 2. Follow this format for each person. DO NOT EXCEED FOUR PAGES.
NAME William W. Ja		POSITION TITLE Postdoctoral Scholar
eRA COMMONS USER NAME
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, and include postdoctoral training.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION	DEGREE (if applicable)		YEAR(s)	FIELD OF STUDY
University of California, Berkeley, CA	B.S.		May-98	Chemistry
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA	Ph.D.		Dec-04	Chemistry
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA			Jan-05 –	Biology/Genetics

Research and/or Professional Experience

1998-2004 Graduate student in Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Research with Prof. Richard W. Roberts (Div. of Chemistry)

Thesis: “Peptide modulators of G protein signaling”

Funded by Dept. of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (1998-2001) and Glenn Foundation/American Federation for Aging Research Scholarship (2004)

2005- Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Research with Prof. Seymour Benzer (Div. of Biology)

Funded by John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Postdoctoral Scholarship (2005-2006)

Honors

1996 Edward Frank Kraft Scholarship Prize

1997-1998 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

1998 Waldo Semon Undergraduate Research Award

1998 Erich O. and Elly M. Saegebarth Prize in Chemistry

1998-1999 Caltech Institute Award

2001 Dow Travel Fellowship

1998-2001 DOD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship

2001 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Service Award, Caltech

2004 Glenn Foundation/American Federation for Aging Research Scholarship

2005-2006 John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship

2006 Postdoctoral Travel Award, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

2006 Best Postdoctoral Poster Award, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Structure, Function, and Biogenesis of Cell Membranes Theme Meeting

Professional Societies

1997- American Chemical Society

2005- American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

2005- Genetics Society of America

Publications

Original Research

(1) Liu, S.; Shi, Y.; Ja, W.W.; Mathies, R.A. “Optimization of high-speed DNA sequencing on microfabricated capillary electrophoresis channels” Anal. Chem. 1999, 71, 566.

(2) Scherer, J.R.; Kheterpal, I.; Radhakrishnan, A.; Ja, W.W.; Mathies, R.A. “Ultra-high throughput rotary capillary array electrophoresis scanner for fluorescent DNA sequencing and analysis” Electrophoresis 1999, 20, 1508.

(3) Ja, W.W.; Roberts, R.W. “In vitro selection of state-specific peptide modulators of G protein signaling using mRNA display” Biochemistry 2004, 43, 9265-9275.

(4) Ja, W.W.; Olsen, B.N.; Roberts, R.W. “Epitope mapping using mRNA display and a unidirectional nested deletion library” Protein Eng. Des. Sel. 2005, 18, 309-319.

(5) Ja, W.W.; Adhikari, A.; Austin, R.J.; Sprang, S.R.; Roberts, R.W. “A peptide core motif for binding to heterotrimeric G protein a subunits” J. Biol. Chem. 2005, 280, 32057-32060.

(6) Wiser, O.; Qian X.; Ehlers, M.; Ja, W.W.; Roberts, R.W.; Reuveny, E.; Jan, Y.N.; Jan, L.Y. “Modulation of basal and receptor-induced GIRK potassium channel activity and neuronal excitability by the mammalian PINS homolog LGN” Neuron 2006, 50, 561-573.

(7) Ja, W.W.; Wiser, O.; Austin, R.J.; Jan, L.; Roberts, R.W. “Turning G proteins on and off using peptide ligands” ACS Chem. Biol. 2006, 1, 570-574.

(8) Ja, W.W.; West, A.P., Jr.; Delker, S.; Bjorkman, P.J.; Benzer, S.; Roberts, R.W. “Extension of Drosophila lifespan using a G protein-coupled receptor inhibitor” Nature Chem. Biol. (submitted).

Review articles

(1) Roberts, R.W.; Ja, W.W. “In vitro selection of nucleic acids and proteins: what are we learning?” Curr. Op. Str. Biol. 1999, 9, 521.

(2) Ja, W.W.; Roberts, R.W. “G-protein-directed ligand discovery with peptide combinatorial libraries” Trends Biochem. Sci. 2005, 30, 318-324.