Collaboration the Draw to Emory for Top Chemist David Lynn

For chemistry and biology professor David Lynn, the possibility of interdisciplinary work was a powerful draw to Emory from the University of Chicago. "There is a very clear sense of momentum and enthusiasm for the potential and the possibilities here," says Lynn. "There was the real sense of 'the ship is leaving the dock and you better be on board.'" His decision to change institutions was a big one, since his lab supported 12 graduate researchers, every one of whom came to Emory with him.

That sense of possibility helped Lynn's graduate students choose Emory, but it also made hiring two new faculty in biomolecular chemistry "the easiest recruiting job I've ever had," says Lynn. "There is an infectious and rewarding feeling about being part of something that's moving forward. These things are fragile and need to be nurtured, but Emory has been thinking carefully and strategically about how to use resources and the direction they want to go."

Now in his second year at Emory, Lynn has wasted no time in forging new interdisciplinary initiatives with colleagues at other universities in the area as well. The Center for Analysis of SupraMolecular Self-Assemblies is a collaboration between Emory, Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia and local industries that receives funding from the Georgia Research Alliance, National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. The partnership is designed to complement what each of the institutions is doing.

Lynn, together with Andy Bommarius of Georgia Tech and Ichiro Matsumura of Emory's biochemistry department, started the center for Fundamental and Applied Molecular Evolution. This diverse group of Emory and Georgia Tech researchers gets together regularly to brainstorm research ideas. "The great thing about this group is that you hear about techniques being used in different areas that might spark a new way of looking at your own work."

Lynn doesn't just cross academic disciplines as a scientist but as a teacher as well, says Peter Bruns, vice president for grants and special programs at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The institute recently named Lynn one of 20 professors nationwide to receive $1 million over the next four years to bring scientific research into undergraduate classrooms.