RNA World Informatics Phylogeny Database

GEORGE E. FOX

Professor
Department of Biology and Biochemstry
University of Houston
fox@uh.edu
prion.bchs.uh.edu

PERSONAL

Date and Place of Birth: 12/17/45, Syracuse, N. Y.
Marital Status: Married, Two children
Telephone: Office - 713/743-8363, Home - 281/931-4000

EDUCATION

Ph.D. -1974 Syracuse University; Chemical Engineering
B.S. - 1967 Syracuse University; Chemical Engineering

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

1986- U. Houston, Professor of Biology and Biochemistry
1987- U. Houston, Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering

1994-.Member, WM Keck Ctr. Computational Biology

1988- 2001 U. Houston, Director, Institute for Molecular Biology
1998-.2000 U. Houston, Vice-Chair, Biology & Biochemistry
1993-1994 U. Houston, Interim Chair, Dept. Biochemical & Biophysical Science
1982-1986 U. Houston, Assoc. Professor of Biochemical & Biophysical Sciences
1977-1982 U. Houston, Assistant Professor of Biochemical & Biophysical Sciences
1973-1977 U. Illinois, Dept. Genetics & Development, Research Associate(with Carl R. Woese)

CURRENT MAJOR RESEARCH SUPPORT

Principal Investigator: NASA-Exobiology Grant, "The Origins of Translation and Early Life,” 7/1/02-6/30/05.
Principal Investigator: NASA-OBPR Grant “Microorganisms in the Spacecraft Environment,” 5/15/04-5/14/08.
Principal Investigator: Robert AS. Welch Foundation Grant-“RNA Structure Studies,” 6/1/03-5/31/06..

 
RECENT INVITED LECTURERS
Invited Speaker, “Progress Towards Monitoring Microbes in the Space Environment”,

Invited Speaker- “Cyanobacteria: Then and Now”, Earth System Processes at Edinburgh
International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, June 24, 28, 2001.

Invited Speaker- “Artificial Stable RNA”, Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, CA, August 21, 2001.

Guest Lecturer-Biomathematics Seminar Series, “Comparison of Cyanobacterial Genomes”, Rice
University, Houston, Texas, November 9, 2001.
Invited Seminar Speaker- “Artifical Stable RNA and Microbial Monitoring” St Thomas
University, Houston, TX., November 15, 2001.

Invited Speaker- “Genomic Insights to Cyanobacterial Evolution”, 10th ISSOL Meeting (13th
Intn., Conf. On Origin Life, Oaxaca, Mexico, June 20 – July 5, 2002.

Invited Speaker-“The Origins of the Protein Synthesis Machinery: A Genomics and Structrual
Perspective”, Instruments, Methods and Missions for Astrobiology V, Waikoloa, Hawaii,
August 22-28, 2002.

Invited Speaker, “The Origins of the Translation Machinery”,� Rice University Astrobiology Seminar Series; February 19, 2004.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

American Society for Microbiology
American Chemical Society
American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The Planetary Society; Sigma Xi; Theta Tau
International Society of Molecular Evolution
Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
RNA Society

RECENT : PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Member-TX South. Univ. NASA Research Center National Advisory Committee-2003-2005

Member-USRA Division of Space Life Sciences Advisory Council, 2004-2006.

Participant-Planetary Protection Microbial Detection and Characterization Worshop; 2004

Reviewer- Idaho Research Grant Program; 2004

Member-USCF/J. Roger Porter Award Nominating Committee, 2000-2003

NCI Program Project Grant Site Visit Reviewer, 2002

Participant; Workshop 4;- Mars Sample Handling Protocol Workshop Series; 2001

Participant; Space Hardware Microbial Contamination Workshop; 2001

UH Representative at Universities Space Research Association Annual Meeting of the

Council of Institutions, 2001.

President/President-Elect; University Houston Chapter of Sigma Xi, 1998-2000

Associate Editor, Journal of Molecular Evolution, 1987-2000

Member, Editorial Board Endocytobiosis and Cell Research, 1987-present

Gordon Conference on Origin of Life; Attendee- 1995, 2000

Peer Review for Journals, Tenure Decisions, & Proposals

HONORS

Elected Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, 2002
Elected Fellow- American Association Advancement of Science, 1995