Prof. Katsuhiko “Katsu” Murakami

Principal Investigator

Katsuhiko Murakami started his research career as a graduate student working under Prof. Akira Ishihama in the National Institute of Genetics and the Graduate University of Advanced Studies in Japan. His thesis title is “Functional analysis of the carboxyl-terminal transcription regulation domain of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase α subunit” and he received Ph. D. in 1997. He engaged in postdoctoral study at the Rockefeller University (1998-2003) for determining the X-ray crystal structure of bacterial RNA polymerase. He joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Pennsylvania State University as an Assistant Professor in 2003 and became a full Professor in 2015.
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Education

Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Japan
Ph.D., 1997, Department of Genetics, School of Life Science (Advisor: A. Ishihama)
Thesis Title: “Functional analysis of the carboxyl-terminal transcription regulation domain of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase alpha subunit

Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan
Master of Chemistry, 1994, Department of Chemistry

Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan
Bachelors of Chemistry, 1992, Department of Chemistry

Experience

Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University Park, PA
2015 – present  Professor
2009 – 2015       Associate Professor
2003 – 2009       Assistant Professor

The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
1998 – 2003       Postdoctoral Fellow (Supervisor: S. Darst)

National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
1997 – 1998        Postdoctoral Fellow (Supervisor: Y. Shirakihara)

Awards, Memberships, Other Experiences

The Pew Scholars Award (2005-2009)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
Biophysical Society

Editorial board member: Journal of Biological Chemistry
Member of Faculty of 1000Prime: Structural Biology, Transcription and Translation Section